


In Another Life

by MossadHuntinDog



Series: In Another Life [2]
Category: Eureka (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-11-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:42:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 57
Words: 87,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26962354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MossadHuntinDog/pseuds/MossadHuntinDog
Summary: She'd sworn never to return to Eureka... but fate had other plans. And when things once more went south, she fled. Only to find that life has a funny way of making your deepest desires and darkest fears come to life, even if that life is one you never expected to live, whether by your choice, or a literal twist in time...
Relationships: Zane Donovan/Jo Lupo
Series: In Another Life [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1967452
Comments: 167
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Rifiuto: Non Miriena
> 
> A/N: Okay, so, here we go... this is actually the second half of my sister-in-law's story 'I'm Saying Goodbye' and it turns out that in her notes, she'd actually planned on splitting it up into a small series. So, let's begin, shall we?

_"I got used to living without you_   
_Endless phone calls and dreaming about you_   
_Always said that you were my man to be_   
_But I guess I was in love with your memory_

_You know I love you, you know I do_   
_But I can't fight anymore for you_   
_And I don't know, maybe we'll be together again_   
_Sometime, in another life_   
_In another life"_

_\- In Another Life,_

_The Veronicas_

She opened her eyes to find herself standing in the middle of Main Street; a car inches from her. Somehow, she must have made it back to her Alternate time-

"Jo? Jojo?" She turned to find Zane hurrying towards her. "What are you doing in the middle of the road? Have you lost your mind?"

"I-" She stopped, drinking him in; he looked the same as when she'd punched the sequence into her device and disappeared. The world was slowly re-pixilating around her, and she had a sneaking suspicion- She had hoped she'd returned to her Alternate, or even her original, timeline. Taking a deep breath, and steeling herself against the heartache she knew she'd feel, but that would tell her that she'd returned to her time, she asked, "Zane, where are the girls?"

He furrowed a brow. "Girls? What girls?"

"'What girls?' Our girls! Our _daughters_ \- Cate, Anna, and Ela!"

He furrowed a brow, concerned. "Jo, we don't _have_ girls."

"Oh. We're not married then, so I am in the right timeline."

Concern flashed in his blue eyes, as he chose his next words carefully. "I... I'm sorry, sweetheart, but- we just haven't been that lucky yet. All I've been able to give you are boys; unfortunately you're outnumbered-"

Jo's head snapped up. Boys? They had sons? "I... I don't... Zane, what year is it?"

"Why do you want to know what year it is? You know what year it is-" Everything around him started to go hazy, like a storm rolling in and she stepped back, shaking her head. "Jo? Are you okay?" She pulled away, reaching up to press her palm to her forehead. "Jo?" The pain brought her to her knees, but she didn't look up, though Zane knelt beside her, reaching out for her, but she shoved him away.

"Don't touch me!"

"Jo-" The hurt in his voice was drowned out by the piercing pain in her head as she collapsed. _"Jo!"_

The scream of silence pulled her from the pain, and her eyes slowly opened. She lay on the pavement, the bike not far from her, the car looming over her, fender damaged. But none of that mattered; her gaze focused on her hand, resting beside her face, and how her fingers twitched. She winced, though she couldn't feel pain in the moment-

And soon, the sound was back, loud and obnoxious, the colors of the world too bright and garish, the pain in her body too much to take, though she couldn't bring herself to scream. People surrounded her, Doctor Moriarty stood to the side, in the middle of a breakdown as Deputy Andy and Carter tried their hardest to calm her down, and Allison knelt next to her, checking her pulse, but she couldn't understand what she was asking, couldn't hear her, though she could hear other sound.

_"Jo!"_

Her dark gaze shifted up, as a man knelt beside her. He looked as he had in another timeline, older, his hair peppered with strands of grey, worry creasing his forehead and around his bright blue eyes. She wanted to tell him to leave her alone, to not touch her, that she hated him, wanted nothing to do with him, but she couldn't speak, couldn't remember why she hated him, couldn't remember much of him at all. But the worry in his blue eyes tugged at her heart-

 _"Daddy? Is Mommy going to be okay?"_ Her dark gaze shifted, and she saw the three girls standing behind him, gazing down at her. They looked familiar, as though she'd seen them somewhere before, and what tugged at her brain was that they looked... like _her._

But that wasn't _possible_ \- she'd never _had c_ hildren.

It wasn't in the cards for her.

He glanced back at them, answering the oldest girl's question hurriedly. "Of course Mommy's gonna be okay, Catie. Auntie Allie's gonna take care of her." He glanced at Allison, who kept quiet. Allison quickly checked her over, gently running a hand over her head and down her spine as the paramedics hurried to them.

And suddenly, it all came back; the sound of their voices, the feeling, the _pain_.

She sat up, as a myriad of hands reached out to stop her, and she looked around. "Whoa, easy, Jo." She turned to Allison. "Jo," She winced; Allison was way too loud. "Doctor Moriarty wasn't paying attention and she hit you, do you remember that?" The Security Director shook her head, reaching up and pressing a palm to her forehead as her features scrunched up in pain. "Okay. Can you tell me your name?"

"J... Josephina... Catherine... Lupo..." Allison glanced over her at the man, who caught his breath. She turned back to Jo, giving her a quick smile.

"Good. And where do you work?"

"Gl... Global Dynamics."

"And what's your position?"

"Director of... Security... for you eggheads..." The pain was getting worse, and one of the medics removed her hand to check her eyes with a small light.

"And what year is it? And what month?"

A moment passed, as Jo turned to her friend. "I... I don't remember... it should be two-thousand-twelve... why?" Allison's dark gaze darted to Carter, who still stood with Doctor Moriarty, before going to Zane. A moment passed before Jo followed her gaze, wincing as she turned her head. Her dark gaze landed on the girls standing behind the man, as he still knelt beside her.

He was important to her, she knew it, but she couldn't remember... and the girls behind him, the ones who looked like her... they were important, too... a moment passed, before she glanced between the girls and him and back before finally choking out,

"Who are you?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Well, I wasn't expecting this route...- Licia

_"Who are you?"_

Zane swallowed hard, as he sat in the waiting area; Claudia had taken the girls to the cafeteria to distract them. Hearing their mother ask who they were had... well, it had sent Catie into an anxiety attack, Ela had started to cry, and even his quiet, contemplative Anna had started to sob uncontrollably. It had been a punch to the gut, hearing her ask such a question-

And then to hear her blatant protests when she'd found out the year- Allison had rushed her back to the infirmary to run tests- and he'd promptly sent Claudia and the girls to the cafeteria, saying he'd wait for news on Jo. She'd thrown an absolute fit of the highest order, screaming that it wasn't, it had been twenty-twenty-two when she'd left, and how _dare_ Allison try to trick her-

The good doctor had had no choice but to restrain the irate Security Director.

He looked up as Allison came out of the infirmary, and stood, hearing Claudia and the girls returning. "How is she?"

Allison sighed, glancing at each of them; they'd been through so much in the last twenty-four hours, and yet not. She, like the rest of them, remembered when Jo had disappeared, but now to have her back, with no memory of everything that had happened- How the Hell was she supposed to explain to Zane that his wife didn't remember him, that she didn't remember their girls? That her memory of them- _only them_ \- had been wiped clean, completely. It was as if they'd never existed, not to her. As if... "Zane-"

"Allison, you're a good friend to both Jo and I... don't you _dare fucking sugarcoat this_." She glanced at Claudia, who shifted Ela on her hip. Footsteps dashing towards them caused her to turn, and she smiled softly at the others.

"Sorry, it took us time to get in touch with the babysitter." The strawberry blonde made her way to Zane, wrapping him in a hug. "How is she? Zane?" Her brother-in-law opened his mouth, and then closed it with a sigh.

"I was just about to get to that, Tess." Allison spoke up as the younger woman turned to her. The older woman took a deep breath, turning back to the infirmary briefly before motioning them over to the benches. Once everyone was gathered around, she spoke, keeping her voice gentle and calm, to keep from worrying everyone. "She thinks the year is twenty-twenty- _two_ , Zane. She said she doesn't know what she's doing back in Eureka, she said she left, and she wasn't going to come back." Zane sighed, rubbing a hand over his face.

Left and wasn't coming back.

"Amnesia?" Claudia asked, as Ela rested her head against her aunt's shoulder. Allison met her gaze.

"Retrograde. The inability to recall specific events- and sometimes people- before the onset of amnesia, usually caused by damage to the hippocampus and median temporal lobes."

"Normal speak, please? Not all of us are geniuses or married into ones." Allison turned to the former Army medic, giving him a soft smile.

"There are specific events or people Jo doesn't remember- people she knew before the amnesia, that she has no memory of now, Ricco. If we _wanted_ , we could categorize it as Dissociative Localized Amnesia- forgetting a specific event, or persons, in this case- which it _might_ be, but it's also looking more and more like retrograde, but again, I _don't know_. There's still so much we don't know about amnesia and the brain and how the brain is truly affected-"

"She really thinks she's not married?" Zane glanced up as Anna hurried to Josh, who scooped her up and settled her on his hip. The young physicist saw the strain in his brother's blue gaze as his oldest daughter curled into his side. Zane let out a self-deprecating snort.

"Lupo. My wife hasn't gone by Lupo in _twelve years_ -"

" _Technically_ , she's not your wife, Zanie. She never said yes, you just live together and have three babies. Well-"

"We didn't want to rush it, be pressured into it because our Catie decided to make an appearance." He glanced down at the girl curled into his side; her blue eyes were filled with tears and he pulled her closer. And then something else clicked in his brain and he turned back to Allison. "Allison... please... please tell me, that... that everything's-"

The older woman went to him, taking him by the shoulders. "Shh, easy, Zane. She's okay, everything's okay in that regard. I checked her myself. I promise, she's okay, the baby's okay."

He seemed to relax, but only briefly before her words hit him. He pulled away from Allison and Cate, taking a seat on the bench. _"Oh, God, how do we explain that? Granted, she's not showing yet, but- how do we explain not just our... our... civil union, I guess... our girls... the pregnancy... she doesn't remember me! Or the girls! Or-"_ His heart rate began to speed up and Tess and Allison each took a seat beside him.

"Easy, Zane." He met Allison's gaze. "You and the girls will get through this. You're not in this alone, none of you are. You have all of us, plus the town. We protect our own, remember?" He nodded, and she leaned over, pressing a kiss to his head before standing. But before anyone else could speak, a commotion came from the infirmary. Allison hurried towards it, the others following.

They found Jo being restrained to the bed by a couple of the nurses. _"Let me go! Let me go! I don't belong here! Please! I don't belong here, I don't!"_

"Mrs. Donovan, _please!_ All this stress isn't good for you _or the baby_!"

"B... _baby_?" Jo's dark gaze darted from the nurses to the others in the room and back, before moving down. She didn't _look_ pregnant-

But before she could say another word, Allison had grabbed a tranquilizer gun and made her way to Jo. Once the sedative kicked in, Allison turned to the others. "I want to keep her here for a couple days, Zane, for observation, see if we can get her to calm down. When I feel like she's ready to go home, then you can take her home." He nodded, turning back to his wife.

How exactly was he going to explain who _he_ was, who the _girls_ were, or the fact they _weren't_ in twenty-twenty-two- like she seemed to think- but that it was mid-April twenty-twenty, and that their baby- the baby they'd conceived four days before St. Patrick's Day- was due in December?


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So in the first chapter, she did jump twice, though the second jump doesn't really look like a typical time jump (whatever a typical time jump looks like).

"Come on, babies, let's go tell Mama goodnight."

Ela and Anna hurried to where Jo was sound asleep, the sedative Allison had given her having completely kicked in by now. Both girls climbed onto the bed, curling into Jo's sides and snuggling against her. Cate hung back, clinging to her father. The twelve-year-old watched the woman in the bed, curious.

 _"Our oldest baby's grown up pretty gorgeous, hasn't she?"_ She turned as Zane gently pushed her forward.

"Go tell Mommy goodnight, pup."

"But she won't hear me. And she doesn't remember me."

Zane smiled softly, leaning down to meet her gaze. "Yes she will, baby girl. Just because Mommy's asleep doesn't mean she won't hear you. And just because she doesn't remember us doesn't mean she doesn't love us. She does. Now go kiss Mommy goodnight."

The older girl joined her sisters, stopping by the side of the bed. Zane followed, scooping Ela into his arms before helping Anna down. Cate watched her mother; she looked peaceful, relaxed, not at all frantic and scary as she had earlier. Her gaze drifted down her body, stopping where her hands lay folded over her abdomen. Slowly, she reached out, taking her mother's hand. _"Try this- think of the one thing you want more than anything else in the world, and then focus on a small part of that- something about it that's attainable in the near future, because once that comes true, eventually the rest of that unattainable wish will come true."_

Her gaze flicked to her mother's face, heart racing as the words faded. She'd never heard them before and yet she had, and somehow, she _knew_ the woman in the bed had said them to her...

Last year, she'd made a wish on her birthday for a little brother, and Mama and Daddy had said they'd have to wait and see- that babies didn't come just because someone made a wish on a birthday cake. And then nearly a month ago, they'd sat her and her sisters down and told them they'd have a little brother or sister around Christmastime. It had scared her, because she'd wished for it, but Daddy had said to 'wait and see' and that it was no guarantee. And then Mama had pulled them close that day and laid their hands on her tummy and told them they'd only have to wait roughly nine months before the new baby was born-

_"Are you excited, Catie? If I remember right, this is what you wished for last year. Daddy and I can't guarantee you'll have a little brother, but you will get to be a big sister again."_

It was confusing and it made her head hurt. The words may not have been the same, but it was the same woman who said them both. And yet, it felt like it wasn't, but she couldn't explain it- like they'd lived an entirely different life to the one they were all living now. She turned back to study her mother's features.

_A pink party dress and a Romanov pendant. Makeup and soft curls. "There, you're ready. Oh, my baby. You're growing up so."_

She shook her head as the memory faded. "Catie?" She glanced behind her; Daddy stood with Ela balanced on his hip and Anna holding tight to his other hand. "Come on, sweetie, kiss Mommy goodnight and let's go home... there's nothing more we can do for her now. We'll come back tomorrow."

The girl turned back to the hand she held. It was too early for her mother to be showing, but she knew the baby was there, tucked safe within her tummy. Auntie Allison had promised the baby was okay, despite the accident she'd been in. And Auntie Allison wouldn't lie, especially not to her and her sisters. She gently squeezed her mother's hand and then moved close. _"Goodnight, Mommy."_ She choked on the words, trying hard not to cry, before leaning down and pressing a kiss to her mother's cheek before letting go of her hand and scampering to join her father and sisters.

Claudia, Josh, Tess and Ricco met them outside GD; the younger woman was the first to wrap her nieces in a hug before going to her brother. "I've gotta get back to the Warehouse, but you keep me updated, Zanie, you hear? And if you need _anything_ , you let me know and I'll be here as soon as I can." He squeezed her gently, pressing a soft kiss to her head.

"I will, Claud. Safe trip home."

Once Claudia had left, Zane turned to Josh and Tess. The older woman gave him a hug. "It'll be okay, Zane. We'll get through this."

He squeezed her gently. "I know, I just..." He sighed. "The accident... hearing her not remember us... what if something happened and the accident wiped more than just her memories of us?" Tess pulled away, confused, as Allison came out, carrying Jo's black leather jacket.

"There's no way that could happen, Zane-" She stopped, biting her lip. "It'd be like she... jumped timelines or something. And I know a lot happens in this crazy town of ours, but time jumping? Time travel? Not possible. Unless it's science fiction."

"Zane?" He turned, giving Allison a soft smile, but she held the jacket back, instead reaching into the pocket. "I've already put in a request to make sure Jo gets a replacement for her PDA, since it was damaged in the accident-"

Zane glanced at the device as he took it, flipping it open, or trying too, but it was too damaged to open, and was most likely too damaged beyond repair. He furrowed a brow. He _knew_ Jo's PDA, and this wasn't it. It also wasn't her regular cellphone- the one she used when not at work- it didn't even _look_ like a regular cellphone. It looked closer to an old flip phone from the late nineties or early two-thousands. "Allison, you've got to be mistaken. This isn't Jo's PDA, and it's not her cell."

"Are you _sure_?"

He nodded. "Positive. I know the tech she uses. This isn't among them. Why?"

"Because it was in her jacket pocket."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So Jo is pregnant in this story, which- I just realized- accounts for why some of the chapters are marked in 'Weeks'. I've had three children of my own and am having my fourth and it took me this long to realize it... I swear, I'm smart...

_"Putting our girls- putting me- second, as always! Always! It doesn't matter what timeline you come from- this one, an alternate one, a merged one- it doesn't matter! Not when it comes to me or the family we've built! You put us second, just like always!"_

_"That wasn't me, Zane. Not then. And that wasn't what you saw today."_

_"You've hurt me! For years! And I've done nothing but love you, for fourteen years!"_

The pain in her chest jarred her from her sleep, as much as the pain of the words that echoed in her head. The voice sounded familiar, as though she'd listened to it on recording for years, but couldn't place the speaker, though she had a name for him now- Zane. Something in the back of her mind screamed that the name was important to her, that _he_ was important to her, whoever this Zane was.

"Glad to see you're awake."

She looked up. "Allison."

"How're you feeling, Jo?"

"Like... I got hit by a bus..." The good doctor smiled sadly as she took a seat beside the bed.

"Be grateful it _wasn't_ a bus. Not that a car is much better. And given that the crash was head on-" She stopped, and Jo quickly put the dots together.

"Is that why I can't remember... what year it is or... who those people are?" Allison stilled, before slowly nodding.

"Retrograde amnesia, most likely. The inability to recall certain events or people due to damage to the hippocampus and median lobes- those people, essentially, were wiped clean from your memory." She clarified, as Jo sighed. "I don't know how long it's going to last, or if it will, but for now, we'll take it one day at a time." She reached out, taking her friend's hand. "Thankfully, that's the only major damage; you're a little banged up and bruised, but other than that, your body's fine, and the baby's fine."

Jo's head snapped up, brow furrowing. "Baby? The nurse said that yesterday. I... Allison, I'm... I can't... I can't be-" A moment passed, before the older woman stood. She came back with an ultrasound machine and a small iron-like device. "What are you doing?"

"I know you, Jo. You deal in facts and practical applications, so what better way to convince you of your pregnancy than an ultrasound." The younger woman sighed, as Allison laid the small iron-like device over her abdomen, turning the screen towards her as she gently moved it over the younger woman's belly. "You're just at seven weeks, meaning you're a month and about two, almost three weeks in, and this isn't your first pregnancy, it's your fourth."

"But I've never been-"

Allison smiled softly at her. "Oh, sweetie, yes you have. Those three girls who were there at the crash? They're you're daughters-"

Jo swallowed thickly. "D... daughters?"

_"Three girls. Cate-"_

"-rina, Annaleigh, and Eleanora." Allison turned to her, surprise quickly being replaced with happiness; she made a mental note to let Zane know when he and the girls came in to see her this morning.

"Right. Caterina's twelve, Annaleigh's ten and Eleanora is eight." She turned back to the ultrasound screen. "And there is your baby." She turned the screen so Jo could see it, and saw the younger woman take a shaky breath. She smiled softly, recognizing the moment Jo realized that this was real. "By your fourth pregnancy, most women show earlier than with their others. Sometimes it means around week ten, other times week nine; but it's also not uncommon for some women to start showing around week seven or eight." She met Jo's gaze. "Looks like you're in that category, though it'll only be noticeable from the side, not necessarily when you lie down, not at first. But give it time; you'll grow." She switched off the device and set it aside, taking her hand. "Talk to me, Jo."

"I... I don't remember... any of it..."

"I know. I know you don't, Jo, and I'm so sorry." She brought her friend's hand up, brushing a kiss to it. "I'm so sorry you don't remember. I wish I could help, but I think in this case- I think we need to let your brain rest and work everything out on its own. I think that's the best course of action right now; better not to push anything else on you, especially with the baby- you don't need anymore stress than you're already under."

"Why don't I remember? I... I know I should... I should hate him... that... that man... with the blue eyes..."

"Zane."

She furrowed a brow at Allison's gentle response. "Is that his name?" Allison nodded. "I don't remember. Is... is he my husband?"

The older woman bit her lip, before deciding it was probably best if she explained it, since she wasn't sure when Zane would be in, or if he'd even have the strength to explain it to her. "Not in the... traditional sense. You're not married, but you're living together; a civil union. Technically, under Oregon law, you and Zane are in a domestic partnership, meaning you share all the rights of marriage without the actual ceremony or title. You didn't want to rush into it, because you'd gotten pregnant with Caterina, and felt it would be forced. You wanted to take your time. Twelve years have passed, and you've had Annaleigh and Eleanora and you have this baby on the way, and you're... well, from what I can see, you're perfectly content. I know Zane said something once about marriage being more about a piece of paper than the couple-" She shrugged. "Personally, I think the importance of marriage is determined by the couple, but I've always been a romantic."

Before she could say another word, a soft knock sounded, and Allison turned, to see the man in question coming towards them. "Sorry, I didn't want to interrupt."

"You're not interrupting, Zane." Allison turned back to Jo and squeezed her hand. "If you need anything, let me know." She stood, going to him. "She's doing okay. I did an ultrasound, because she didn't believe me when I told her about the baby... try to keep her calm. I know she's okay and the baby's healthy, but she's only seven weeks, Zane, and most miscarriages happen around this week. I don't want that to happen, so keep her calm. Okay?"

He nodded, and she reached out, squeezing his shoulder before leaving the couple alone. Once she was gone, Zane took the seat she'd vacated; he sighed. "Morning, Jojo."

Her head snapped up; she'd lowered her gaze to where her hands rested against her belly, a look of surprise on her features, as though she still couldn't believe she was pregnant, despite the ultrasound Allison had done. "What did you call me?"

He met her gaze. "Jojo. It's what I've always called you."

She gave the most miniscule of nods, returning her gaze to her abdomen, and after a moment, Zane reached out and covered her hands.

_"I would love to try for another baby. I love our girls, but I would love_ _to have as many children as we can possibly have. I've always wanted a large family."_

Their gazes met, and after a moment, she pulled her hands away; his fingers gently stroked over her abdomen, and he sighed, smiling quickly. "You know, it's funny," He took a deep breath. "Growing up, I just had my sister, and I always wondered what it would be like to have five or six siblings. I always wanted a large family." He bit his lip. "I love our girls, don't get me wrong, I absolutely love them with all of my heart, but... I'm _so happy_ we're having this baby." His gaze met hers. "I know you don't remember, and that the next eight months or so are going to be difficult, but I _promise you_ , Jojo, I'm going to do _all_ I can to make the next eight months as easy on you as possible, regardless of whether your memory comes back in those eight months or not." He could see the question in her eyes, and after a moment, he reached out, caressing her cheek. "Because I love our girls, and I love this baby... but most importantly, because I _love_ you."

_"I love you, so much. You're my Jo."_


	5. Chapter 5

Allison released Jo from the infirmary at the end of the week, insisting that she wanted the Security Director to stay just to be monitored a little more carefully. And so it was the weekend by the time Jo walked out of the infirmary; Henry had put Jo on sabbatical for the next few days, so she could catch up on her rest, and everyone seemed really accommodating, especially when they knew what she was going through-

So when they pulled up in front of the small house on Coriolis Loop, Jo felt a minor thrill run through her, though she couldn't say why- just that she knew this house, knew it was important to her, and, for some reason, held an importance to the man at her side. He glanced at her. "Come on, let's get you settled back in. There are three little girls who are very excited to see you."

She quickly followed him into the house, relieved to be back in a familiar space, even if she didn't remember what was so familiar about it or the importance of it. Though it was small on the outside, it was good-sized on the inside, with an open floor plan, a study off the kitchen and living room to the left and a dining room to the right, a set of stairs leading to the basement in between the hallway that led to the dining room and the stairs to the second floor.

_I know this house._

"I... I know this house."

"Of course you know this house, Jojo. It's our house. We live here. Our girls were born and raised in this house and this baby will be too." She turned to him, tearing her gaze from studying the architecture.

_"The girls are in the backyard with Tess and Ricco, Zane. Can I get you and Jo something to drink? Or something to eat perhaps? Jo needs to keep her nutrition up for the baby-"_

She jumped, looking around frantically for the disembodied voice that seemed to be everywhere. "What was that? Who was that? Where is that?"

"Whoa, whoa, _easy,_ Jojo." She looked up as Zane stepped in front of her, hands out, voice soft and low. "It's okay, it's just AIDA."

"AIDA? Who's AIDA?"

"No a 'who', honey, a... what, I guess you could say."

_"What?"_

_"Automated Inhabitable Designer Apartment, Jo. But you can just call me AIDA."_ The soft spoken AI replied; Zane had filled the AI in on what had happened after bringing the girls home that night, and AIDA made sure to be calm and gentle with Jo- not that she wasn't normally calm and gentle anyway. When Fargo had suggested the soft-spoken AI for the couple, Jo had been three months pregnant with Cate, and it turned out that AIDA had been a Godsend.

Her soft, automated voice was perfect for a house with a pregnant woman and later a newborn baby; and with each of the girls, AIDA had made it her priority to take care of her family in any way she could- so when the test had come back positive this time, AIDA and made it her priority to watch after Jo, and make sure this pregnancy went as smooth as the last three had. Of course, Jo's amnesia complicated things, but the house would make due with what she was given. As long as Jo was okay physically, and the baby was okay, they could figure out how to handle the amnesia issue.

Jo slipped around Zane, moving to wander through the living room, drinking in the photographs, the trinkets and knickknacks, the collection of DVDs and CDs, the puzzle on the living room table, the shoes by the door, the dolls on the sofa and the glasses of milk on the island in the kitchen with the plate of cookies. It seemed to be a beautiful house, very much lived in and loved by the people who called it home.

And apparently, according to everyone, she was one of them.

"Daddy!" The pair turned as the girls dashed into the house, followed by a strawberry blonde and a man with thick, black hair. She watched the youngest girl dash towards the man- Zane, she had to remind herself- and he knelt down, scooping her up into his arms. Her legs went around his waist and her arms around his neck.

"There are my girls." He pressed a kiss to the youngest girl's head. "Guess who got to come home?"

"Mommy?" The girl gasped, and Zane nodded.

"Mhmm. Auntie Allie finally told her she could come home; but she needs to spend the next few days resting. Okay?" The two older girls nodded as they joined their father and sister.

"Why, Daddy?" Zane glanced at his brother-and-sister-in-law before turning his gaze back to the girl in his arms.

"Because Mommy's at a very delicate stage in her pregnancy, and she has to be very careful, so that nothing happens to her or the baby, because we don't want them to end up back in the the infirmary. So we have to be very careful with Mommy for the next few weeks, until Auntie Allie says it's okay. And remember, Mommy's memory is funny."

"She doesn't remember us, Daddy." The oldest girl spoke up, and Zane turned to her.

"That's right, Catie, which means it's up to us to help her to remember, okay?" A moment passed, before he knelt so he was level with his older daughter's gazes as well. "Which means, we have to do all we can to make sure we help Mommy to remember and be careful with her so that she and the baby are both okay, because we want to be able to meet the baby this Christmas, right?" The girls nodded. "Good." He caught Tess and Ricco's gazes before straightening and turning towards Jo, who turned back to them. "Jojo," She met his gaze, and he released a soft breath. "Meet your daughters- Caterina, Annaleigh, and Eleanora."


	6. Chapter 6

Caterina, Annaleigh, Eleanora.

They were beautiful, absolutely beautiful. Thick, black hair and almond-shaped eyes in heart-shaped faces that she recognized as hers- with the striking blue eyes that belonged to the man before her- and soft, tanned skin that appeared to be a beautiful mixture of hers and his. There was no denying it, these were her daughters- and they were her daughters with the man who stood before her.

If only she could remember it.

After a moment, the oldest glanced at her father, before stepping forward, black hair pulled back in two braids down her back. She moved closer, finally reaching up to touch her mother's cheek. Jo flinched involuntarily, but allowed the girl to touch her, and after a moment, she felt comfortable enough to kneel down to the girl's level. A soft warmth filled her heart, similar to hot cider warming her on a cold fall day or a piece of her mother's cherry and blackberry pie fresh from the oven. She knew this child, she knew all three of them, they were important to her, as important as the man who called himself her partner- Zane- but she _couldn't remember them_.

The girl's small fingers brushed against her cheek, and she reached up, covering the small hand with hers, before pressing it flat against her cheek. The warmth in her heart grew.

_"Cate, just because I love Daddy doesn't mean he stops loving you and your sisters; it doesn't. And it doesn't mean I don't love the three of you, because believe me, I do. I may not have been the version to give birth to you, but you're my daughters. You're my girls as much as you're Daddy's, and I will do everything in my power to make you see that, all three of you, for as long as I'm here in this timeline."_

She shook her head, casting the words aside. Timeline? That didn't make any sense. There was no such thing as a timeline- there were time periods, like the dinosaurs she, Evan and Mac used to hunt and send back to their time period when she was up in Vancouver, but that was years ago. The girl pulled her hand away and turned her attention to Jo's stomach.

Gently, she reached out, pushing the front of her mother's jacket aside and lifting the hem of her shirt. She hadn't been able to see it when her mother was lying in that hospital bed, but now that she knelt before her, at level with her, it was evident- there was definitely a swell to her tummy. Gently, she rested her fingers against the swell, glancing up at her mother. A moment passed, before her mother reached down, resting a hand over hers. For some reason, she didn't want to let the girl go; there was this... unmistakable pull she felt towards the twelve-year-old that she couldn't explain.

All she knew was that it was undeniable, persistent, as strong as the beat of her own heart.

_"You promise?"_

_"I promise, no matter what happens, I'll never leave you or your sisters or Daddy. You know why?"_

_"Why?"_

_"Because I love you all so, even if you aren't mine."_

"But you are mine." The girl furrowed a brow, and she forced a quick smile. "Nine? Right? Is that how old you are?"

The girl swallowed thickly, giggling softly. "No, Mommy. I'm twelve. Anna's ten and Elie's eight. She doesn't turn nine until next year."

"Right. S... sorry."

"It's okay, Mommy. Daddy said that your brain got hurt and so you won't remember us. And he said that we have to help you remember."

A tiny smile tugged at her lips. "Did he now?" Her gaze moved from the girl to the man a few feet away.

_"I gotcha something."_

_"Did you now? And... I suppose you want me to try this on for you?"_

She shook her head, gaze quickly darting from his back to the girl. Cate nodded. "And... how are you going to help me remember when I don't remember you?"

The words came out soft yet stern; she hadn't meant them too, but it was overwhelming- discovering that she was not only in a domestic partnership with a man she didn't remember, the mother of three girls, _and_ being pregnant with their fourth child- and Jo had never handled personal chaos well. She had always been a good soldier, but as soon as she stepped off the battlefield and behind that door, she was unable to keep her composure and usually broke. Her biting tone and suspicion were defense mechanisms against years of having to bottle everything inside.

Cate's blue eyes misted with tears, and she reached up, gently brushing the few that escaped away. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be harsh. This... it's very scary for me. I don't remember you or your sisters or your daddy, or..." She glanced down at her belly where the girl's hand still rested. "or this baby... I don't remember any of it. And I don't know if it's going to come back." She swallowed thickly. "I'm scared."

"It's okay, Mommy." Cate only ever used 'Mommy' when something traumatizing had happened- and the accident days earlier had fallen into that category. Zane had figured it out not long after Cate turned four, when they'd been in New Jersey to visit Jo's father, and James had had a heart attack while doing the dishes after dinner. Jo had been six months pregnant with Ela at the time, and her father's heart attack had not only traumatized Cate, but put Jo in the hospital. James had died four months later, living long enough to meet his youngest granddaughter, but the event that day in Perth A had traumatized his oldest, and Cate had never gotten over it, for she loved James dearly. From then on, Zane knew whenever Cate used 'Mommy', it was usually preceded by a traumatizing event- and the girl's therapist had agreed. "We'll help you remember."

Jo tried her hardest not to show her surprise as Cate wrapped her arms around her neck in a hug.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So, she does jump ahead in this on occasion... because, time flies, especially with pregnancy.

_Ten Weeks_

It took time to adjust to everything.

Time for Zane and the girls to adjust to Jo having no memory of them or their life, time for Jo to adjust to being in a partnership with a man she didn't remember, but had the niggling feeling that she shouldn't be with for some strange reason, time for Jo to adjust to being a mother to three young girls, and time to adjust to pregnancy- especially since she didn't remember being pregnant the first three times.

It didn't take Jo long to adjust to her job as Director of Security, though it took time for her to adjust to having to slow down and be careful, and time for her to adjust to the fact that Zane was the Director of Section Five, that her oldest brother Ricco and his wife Tess also lived in Eureka- Ricco worked with Allison in the Medical Department and Tess was a teacher at the school, and that regular checkups with Allison since the accident were normal.

The other thing she had to adjust to was her expanding middle.

In the back of her head, something was screaming that she had never been pregnant, never given birth, and yet...

She stood in front of the full length mirror in their bedroom, in nothing but her bra and underwear, studying herself. She didn't look like she'd gained much weight, but every pregnancy was different, as Allison liked to remind her constantly. There was a nice, soft, round curve to her belly that would only grow softer and rounder as the weeks passed. If she turned to the side, it was definitely noticeable.

_What are you going to do? You don't even remember how you got yourself into this mess._

A blush crept across her cheeks. She had a fairly good idea of _how_ she got into this mess- at least, the pregnant mess. It was the amnesia mess she didn't understand or remember. Her hands moved down to wander over her belly of their own accord, and she sighed. She had always wanted children, she knew that much. Growing up in a household with three older brothers, she had dreamed of a house that would echo with the sound of laughter and small feet, with toys that could be tripped over and storybooks to be read. She had dreamed of having eight or nine children, with a man who loved her and wanted a large family just as she did.

_You're pregnant with baby number four, even if you don't remember it happening. Guess your dream finally came true._

The sound of footsteps caused her to turn, and she quickly grabbed the cherry blossom print silk robe she'd found hanging in the closet. Zane had told her he'd gotten it for her when she'd been pregnant with Cate, though she didn't see the relevance of that tidbit of information. When she turned towards the door, it was to find the ten-year-old, the middle girl- Anna, she reminded herself. Cate and then Anna, and Ela is the youngest.- watching her fro the doorway. She felt a hint of irritation crawl up her spine as she laid eyes on the child, and she suppressed it.

She couldn't remember what about the child had irritated her, but something had, and it worried her. She was certain she loved all three of the girls equally, but what if she didn't? And what if she didn't remember? She didn't know if she could live with herself if she loved two of her children but not her third. She released a slow breath, giving the girl a quick smile. "Yes... Annaleigh?"

The child bit her lip, before slipping into the room, long black hair down around her shoulders and held back with a glittery headband. "Mama?" Jo waited, cocking her head. "Can I see your tummy?"

She opened her mouth to speak, before stopping, confused. "Why?"

Anna shrugged, and after a moment, Jo slowly untied her robe, letting it fall open as she took a seat on the bed. Anna climbed up beside her. "Catie says I was in your tummy, too, just like she was, and just like Elie." Jo nodded, choosing to stay silent as she thought her words over carefully. "I remember when Elie was born. I didn't like it. She was loud." The sour look on the girl's face made Jo chuckle softly. "She's still loud. She never shuts up."

"Hey," She gently tapped the girl on the forehead. "That's not nice to say about your sister."

"Even if it's true?"

" _Especially_ if it's true."

Anna sniffed derisively, turning her attention to her mother's belly. "But it's true. Ever since Elie was born, there hasn't been quiet in this house at all. She's taken over. Her toys are everywhere, she leaves her crayons out where we can trip, she makes messes and doesn't clean them. She's _eight_ , she should be cleaning up her messes."

Jo chuckled internally; she felt as though she were listening to herself complain about her older brothers. _God, if she's like this when she reaches her teens, then how is she going to be when she reaches adulthood? It's like I'm listening to myself. Is this what Papa used to listen to?_ "She's only... eight." She finished slowly, making sure she got the age right.

"So? I wasn't like that at eight. At least, I don't _think_ I was. Daddy never said, and you don't remember." She turned her attention from her little sister back to her mother's belly. "Will you remember the baby growing in your tummy?" Jo kept quiet, unsure of how to respond. "Uncle Ricco says that you're starting to look-" She stopped, biting her lip as she struggled to remember the word. A moment passed, before she gave up and let the word fall to the wayside, her sentence unfinished.

At ten, Anna was brilliant, like both her parents, if quiet and a little awkward. She found comfort in books instead of people, preferring to run away to Hogwarts or Green Gables or any of the other hundreds of books she could read in the study off the living room. Being the middle child put Anna in an awkward position- not the oldest, and not the youngest, and yet with the baby on the way, she now was not the _only_ middle child; Eleanora would also be the middle child once the baby arrived. Of all three of the girls, Anna was the one who seemed to resemble Jo most in personality.

_"You scared us, Mama."_

_"I'm sorry, babies, I didn't mean to."_

"Mama?"

The... memory or voices or... whatever it was faded away, leaving only her and her daughter. "Yes?"

An exasperated look crossed the ten-year-old's face. "Do you think this baby will be quieter than Ela?"


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So, a little... interesting fact in regards to this scene... it is possible for a baby to cry during the birthing process. The oldest of my twin daughters started screaming before her shoulders were born, so it's possible.

The house was quiet, for once.

Cate and Ela were running around the backyard, and Anna had disappeared upstairs in search of Jo, who was still in the bedroom. Taking advantage of the quiet, Zane settled on fixing dinner for them all, letting his thoughts wander to the last four weeks.

Things had been tense in the TARDIS house on Coriolis Loop, though it was no one's fault. But Jo hadn't exactly made it easy for them all to adjust; the woman Zane remembered and the woman who had, in a sense, taken her place, were two entirely different people- as though she'd been swapped for a different copy. The woman she'd been had been affectionate, loving, and the woman who'd 'returned' was distant and cautious, as though she'd been hurt before and didn't want to get hurt again. She watched him with an air of caution and suspicion, as though she didn't fully trust him.

And it hurt.

He loved Jo; he'd always loved Jo. From the moment they met, when he was brought in to be the Director of Section Five, and she'd falsely accused him of releasing a bunch of monkeys from the aggression lab and then arrested him, he'd loved her. It had been an innocent mix up, and Henry managed to intervene before anything too bad happened, but the knives had been thrown and he'd been hit- so to speak. Henry had told her to apologize, which she did, grudgingly, before turning on her heel and storming back to her office, barking orders all the way.

It had become a game, from that moment on. A constant game of Tag, though, if he were honest, he couldn't remember the rules or the goings-on of the game, only that it had ended with a bad first date over Sunday brunch at Café Diem, in which she'd stormed out, embarrassed when he'd put his foot in his mouth. It had taken him _weeks_ to get back in her good graces, but somehow, he'd managed to pull it off. Their second date had gone much better- _much, much better_ \- and they soon found themselves forced to face the consequence of their actions with one little word.

_Pregnant._

By the time Cate was born in October of that year, they'd moved into the house on Coriolis Loop, and their relationship had only grown. It was amazing, what one little moment, one missed opportunity, could do to change the course of their lives. As her pregnancy had progressed, they found themselves falling in love- something both denied, but was evident to anyone who saw it- and soon looked forward to the night their family would officially begin.

Caterina came into their lives that rainy night of October fourteenth, two-thousand-eight like the whirlwind she was- refusing to wait for her parents to get to the infirmary at GD, instead choosing to arrive in the house on Coriolis, after eighteen hours of hard labor- six of those after the power had gone out- their oldest daughter had left the comfort and safety of her mother's womb, sliding into her father's embrace with a scream that rivaled her mother's. She stole their breath and their hearts and they both belonged to her from that moment on. The screams of that little girl had drowned out the raging Northwestern storm, and made them a family.

_"Zane, don't... make me... I don't... want... to..."_

_"Jojo, darling, you don't exactly have a choice. This baby's going to come whether you want her too or not."_

_"But I'm not ready-"_

_"Hey! Hey, look at me! Jojo, look at me! I know this isn't what we planned, but life rarely goes as planned. Look at us- Jo, I've fallen in love with you over these last nine months, and not just because of the baby. She wasn't planned, but that doesn't mean we won't love her any less than if she were. And maybe it was meant to be only us to welcome her into the world."_

Cate had been the biggest surprise of his life- he'd never pictured himself as a father, especially since his own father had walked out on his mother, him and his sister, and the thought of being responsible for another human being that he created terrified him. But as soon as Cate had come sliding out of her mother into his arms, everything had changed. Holding his newlyborn baby girl was so different to watching her grow within her mother.

Suddenly, all those fears were real, as were the hopes. And the millions of promises he'd made to her over the course of the pregnancy- and he would try his damndest to keep every single one. He wouldn't walk out on her like his father had walked out on him. She deserved a man who she could call 'Daddy' and who would do all he could to keep her safe and make her happy. And somehow, by some strange twist of fate, by some unknown deity he didn't believe in, he'd been chosen to be that very man; he'd been given the chance to be this beautiful little girl's daddy.

_"Zane!" She let out a grunt, reaching up to grab the wall._

_"That's it, sweetheart, you're doing so good-"_

_"Zane, shut up!" She let out a squeal as the next contraction grabbed her around the waist and she shifted to her knees at the top of the stairs; the pressure between her legs continued to build, getting stronger and stronger until she couldn't focus on anything else. A bellow escaped her throat as her waters burst and the pressure finally released. "Oh, God-"_

_She sat back, legs spread wide, and in the soft light brought on by the backup generators, Zane watched as a head of dark curls made it's appearance. Strong screams soon reached his hears, and they weren't Jo's. She kept her focus on the task at hand, digging her nails into the curve of the stair she was sitting on, for she'd been pacing the first floor hallway when her labor had progressed and the pressure became too great. "That's a good girl, Jojo!"_

_"Zane, get her out!"_

_He grabbed a towel, reaching out to gently hold the baby's head. "I can't do this for you, sweetheart, you have to do it yourself! I'm right here, I won't let anything happen to her or you. I've got you both. I'm not going anywhere."_

_"Promise?"_

_He met her gaze, that slow smile she loved distracting her from the unbearable pain between her legs. "I promise, I'm gonna be right here, for both of you," He leaned towards her, capturing her mouth in the tenderest of kisses. "forever." He'd kissed her again, softly this time, before meeting her gaze and holding it. "Come on, Jojo, all you're doing is birthing our daughter; you're one of the strongest women I know, you can do this. Just a little longer and she'll be out."_

_By the time midnight struck, Cate was out to her shoulders, and Zane found himself unable to keep from talking to his daughter as she came into the world. The sound of his voice seemed to calm Jo, and help her focus as she continued to push. By one the next morning, both shoulders had been born, and on the morning of the fourteenth, ten minutes past three, Zane had a squirming, screaming, healthy, nine pound, six ounce baby girl in his arms. Jo had collapsed back onto her elbows, catching her breath as Zane moved to sit beside her. "Is that... her..."_

_"Rivaling the storm, our little whirlwind. Say hello to your daughter, Jojo."_

_She'd choked on a sob, slowly pushing herself up again. "She's... big..." Zane chuckled softly, laying the baby in her arms._

_"She's beautiful. Just like you." She slowly tore her gaze from his._

_"Thank you, Zane."_

_He shook his head. "Thank you, Jojo." The kiss they'd shared was soft, searching, tinged with passion and renewed promises and fresh love, worry and fear and excitement for what the future held for their small family. When they broke the kiss, they returned their gazes to the baby in Jo's arms. "Welcome to this chaotic town we call home, Caterina Elisabeth."_

_Jo hummed softly, gaze never leaving the baby she cradled against her breast. "Welcome to Eureka, Cate."_

A familiar squeal jarred him from his memories, as two sets of footsteps came dashing through the house. He looked up to see Jo come down the stairs with Anna holding tight to her hand, the other one resting against her belly, as another scream echoed through the first floor- similar to the screams that had announced her arrival on the upstairs landing of the house twelve years ago during that storm. _"Daddy!_ _Ela took my drawing pencils and flushed them down the toilet!"_

 _"Because you_ stole _Mr. Monkey and hid him!"_

 _"I didn't_ hide _that_ stupid _stuffed panda bear! I put him away!_ You _flushed my drawing pencils!"_

 _"You stole Mr. Monkey!"_ Zane watched as both Jo and Anna covered their ears, and he chuckled softly, wiping his hands on the dish towel.

"AIDA, will you finish dinner for me? I have to go intervene before _Hurricane Caterina_ takes Eleanora out permanently this time."


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: She has notes here about playing around with possibility of twins either now or later (maybe sequel?) and I really, really want to read ahead, but I'm trying not to... -Licia

"I'm sorry about the noise earlier."

She looked up from tugging on the satin maternity pajamas she'd found when they came home after Allison released her; Zane had told her that she'd worn them for the last three pregnancies, and she found that she liked the feel of them on her skin. Her brow furrowed, and she stopped fiddling with the buttons. "What?"

He scoffed softly. "The noise, earlier. Cate trying to kill Ela? You and Anna were both covering your ears due to the screaming. I'm sorry."

"Oh." She nodded slowly.

"Happens a lot, when you're raising three rambunctious children all under the age of _thirteen_." He sighed, becoming lost in thought, before, "You know, it's funny."

"What?" Jo lifted her head, having returned halfheartedly to buttoning the top. He smiled softly at her, knowing she wouldn't remember, but needing to talk about it anyway.

"When Cate was born... when you were pregnant with her... I was _so scared_ of becoming a father. My dad walked out on us when I was six and Claudia was three, and... I told myself that if I _ever_ ended up having kids, I would never walk out on them. Never. I would never turn out like him." He sighed. "And so when Cate was born, I kept that promise, I didn't walk away. I stayed- and I got to bear witness to the most amazing thing in the world- the growth and birth of our daughter."

"Oh." She sighed, giving up on the buttons and taking a seat on the bed. He joined her, shifting to face her. They sat in silence for several minutes before, he finally spoke up, reaching out to gently push the top aside. Her caramel gaze watched as he gently laid a hand against her belly, before shifting up to meet her gaze.

"You," He paused, choosing his words carefully. "have given me _three_ of the most _amazing_ girls in the entire world, Josephina, and you're about to give me another- I don't know that there's anything I'll _ever_ be able to do to repay you for the wealth of love and beauty you've given me. And I know you don't remember, and that's okay." He reached up, cradling her face in his other hand. "I just want you to know how grateful I am; I wouldn't be who I am if you hadn't made an honest man out of me." He pressed a kiss to her forehead as her eyes closed.

_"What do you say? Will you make an honest man out of me? Marry me, Jojo."_

She jolted back with a soft gasp, meeting his gaze. A moment passed, as she struggled to think of something to say before, "S... sorry-"

"Spark?" Her brow furrowed, and he gently stroked her cheek. She let her gaze close against his touch, as warmth slowly spread up her spine and into her heart, relaxing her with a soft sigh.

"Our spark." Her gaze opened, meeting his. "From the moment we met, we've had a spark, and sometimes," He brushed a soft kiss to her forehead, tender and loving. "a single spark," He gently trailed kisses down over her eyelids and cheeks, against the tip of her nose before nuzzling his nose against hers. It had started as an evening ritual not long after Cate's conception, and had continued on over the years to relax her enough to sleep, especially when she was pregnant, and especially as it got closer and closer to the birth. He brushed the softest of kisses to her lips. "Is all you need."

Her eyes opened and their gazes locked. His other hand was splayed across her tummy, caressing the gentle slope that housed their child. She opened her mouth to speak, before stopping. She felt as though she were being pulled in two different directions- feeling as though she should hate him, and feeling as though she should love him- and it was making her head hurt. She had no idea what to do, other than try and focus on gaining her memory back- and prepare for the baby growing in her belly.

 _That_ was still a surprise, even though it shouldn't have been.

"Our spark is what created this little one, and those three royal _terrors_ we call our daughters." He chuckled softly and she felt a smile tug at her lips as she reached up, covering his hand with hers. They sat on the bed like that, hands holding the gentle swell of her belly, relishing the quiet and companionable silence while they had it, because all too soon the sun would be up and the house would be filled with chaos. After a moment, he leaned down, brushing a soft kiss to her belly, and she felt her heart clench. "You just keep growing, little one. You're gonna have three older sisters who are gonna do all they can to help take care of you and protect you and love you, and it'll be your job to keep them all in line, because they won't want to set a bad example for the baby of the family."

She chuckled softly, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth as he continued to talk to her belly, fingers gently skimming over the skin. A soft knock on the door interrupted them, and they turned to find Ela standing in the doorway. "Daddy? I can't find Mr. Monkey. Catie said she put him away but wouldn't tell me where."

Zane rolled his eyes softly as he turned back to her. "A daddy's work is never done. I'll be right back." He kissed her quickly and got up, going to the child and scooping her up. "I think I know where Catie put Mr. Monkey-" The door shut softly behind them, and she returned her hands to her belly, becoming lost in thought.

A soft gasp escaped her and she turned her gaze towards her belly, at the feeling of a soft fluttering.

_"What's quickening, Auntie Allie?"_

_"It's... it's when Mommy feels the baby move for the first time, Catie."_

_"Oh. Can we feel it?"_

_"I'm afraid not, Catie Cat. Only Mommy can feel it."_

_"What's it feel like, Auntie Allie?"_

_"It feels like... like..."_

_"Like butterflies."_

_"Butterflies?"_

_"Mhmm. You know when you go to jump off the diving board in the pool and you get that funny fluttering in your tummy? That's what it feels like inside my tummy, sweetheart."_

_"Like butterflies?"_

_"Mhm. Exactly like butterflies."_

The memory faded, and she wrapped her arms around her belly after slipping under the covers while she waited for Zane to return. Once she'd settled down, she returned her hands to her belly, smiling softly when she felt the movement. "Exactly like butterflies."


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So apparently she really considered twins for this story, but decided against it (at least for now) ... though this story is supposed to have 64 chapters (the last of the 150) and we're only on 10, so we have 54 chapters left (unless it gets to be too much and I decide to split it again) and a lot can happen in 54 chapters...

_Twelve Weeks_

"How you're doing, Mama?"

Jo sat back in the chair with a sigh; in the two weeks that had passed, she'd learned a lot- not just about herself but about the girls and Zane, but none of it brought back her memory, though it did make it easier for her to adjust, just slightly.

"So, just starting your last month of your first trimester. How's it feel?"

"Strange." She admitted, studying her nails; Ricco, Tess and their daughter Michaela, had come over for dinner the night before, and Ela had begged and begged Tess to let her paint her nails- in the end, the eight-year-old had painted _everyone's_ nails. The polish they had was safe so even Ela could paint her mother's nails, and there were at least three GD employees wearing sparkling red nail polish- mainly because Ela wouldn't let either Ricco or Zane take it off. And so the the only men in both their households willingly bent to the will of the eight-year-old. "I've never felt it before."

Allison sighed; she'd learned over the last few weeks to not question or argue with Jo when such statements came out of her mouth. It was evident that this was partially a response to having lost her memory of Zane and the girls, coupled with the situation. She knew that Jo didn't handle stress well, and with the pregnancy, they wanted as little stress on her as possible. "How're you adjusting to things at home?"

A moment passed, as Jo's caramel gaze darted to Allison's. "You mean the girls?"

"Or in general." Allison had known Jo for years; she remembered the young Security Director when she'd been recruited from Canada and her tech company because of her impeccable record- a PhD in Psychology, a Masters in Business, plus a dual PhD in Lingustics and Neurolinguistics- despite two years of military service, where she'd quickly risen through the ranks to be honorably discharged after returning from Afghan II with a Purple Heart, and the rank of Lieutenant General, and then spent six years working at the FBI office in Vancouver as a Psychological profiler and linguistics expert and translator, all the _while_ helping Evan Cross to start up and build Cross Photonics; the young woman from New Jersey was one of the wealthiest women on the West Coast, certainly one of the wealthiest in Eureka- before even _arriving_ in the small government town- being the COO of her and Cross's company. She was brilliant, but played down her brain and her smarts because she didn't feel that she deserved them, something Allison knew wasn't true. "... how are things with you and Zane?"

Jo tore her gaze from her nails again with a shrug. "Okay, I guess. Look, Al, I know I'm supposed to remember him and life we have together, but I just _don't_. It's not like I'm not trying, I just can't remember. I'm sorry. I just-"

"No one is saying you need to remember everything immediately, Jo. These things take time." The Medical Director replied, taking a sip of her coffee. The Security Director seemed to deflate slightly, sinking back in the chair, her gaze wandering to take in the the people out and about. The warm June air caressed her face and played with the ends of her ponytail, and she sighed, hands moving down to cradle her belly.

Allison had had to suppress a laugh when she got there for lunch today; Jo had been standing at the counter, talking to Vincent, and had turned when Allison had entered and made her way over, laying a hand on her friend's shoulder. Everyone in Eureka knew this baby was number four for the Security Director and Section Five Director; they had watched the pair go through three prior pregnancies, had seen how with each one, Jo had started showing sooner and sooner- and so it hadn't surprised many that she had started showing around week nine or so- though there were whispers that Director Lupo was carrying more than one...

But Allison knew the truth; it was only one. Jo just looked bigger because she'd gone through three prior pregnancies and her body was used to it. But Allison _also_ knew that Tessie Fontana, Jo's sister-in-law, had been pregnant with twins and lost one early on in the pregnancy, and that twins ran in the Lupo family, so it was highly likely that at some point, if she and Zane got pregnant again, they'd probably end up with twins at some point.

She understood why Jo and Zane hadn't married; they hadn't wanted to go through with a marriage because they'd been pregnant with Cate at the time and hadn't wanted to feel like they were being forced to marry. They had decided that it would be better to live together so that their baby girl had a stable home with both her parents, and over the years, as their family had grown and the house had grown, going from two bedrooms to four, so had their love and their relationship. In fact, Jo and Zane's relationship was probably one of the most stable relationships in Eureka-

Until now.

It wasn't Jo's fault her memory had been wiped clean; accidents caused brain damage, even amnesia, and Allison didn't blame her best friend for being not just wary of a partner she didn't know, but the little girls she'd given birth too but didn't remember, but uncertain around them. And she was sure the pregnancy didn't make it any easier, though it did give them something to focus on.

She watched her friend, saw how her hands wandered down to cradle her belly. A small chuckle escaped her; Jo reminder her of when she'd had Jenna- small, but once she hit a certain week, it was nothing but her belly- and with this being Jo's fourth child... well... _she looks closer to six months than three; not uncommon for subsequent pregnancies, especially a fourth. And if she ever has another, she'll show sooner and sooner because her body's done this before._

"What's so funny?"

"Sorry, Jo?"

"What's so funny? I know I look like a whale." The Security Director sipped her tea, and Allison shook her head.

"Jo, you look pregnant, like a mommy-to-be. No, I was just thinking about how much you remind me of myself when I had Jenna. I was the same way- I hit twelve weeks and suddenly I had a tummy. It's perfectly normal with second, third and fourth pregnancies. Nothing to be ashamed of."

"I'm not-"

"I know." She reached over, taking her hand and squeezing gently. "And I know this is new and scary because your memory is gone, but I want you to know that you can always come to me if you need to. No matter what it is."

Tears misted in the other woman's eyes and she quickly wiped them away. "Thank you, Al, but why?"

"Because you're my best friend, Jo. You're my best friend, and, pregnancy-wise, I've been where you are. And sometimes, what our husbands and partners don't understand, is that sometimes we just need another mommy to talk to."


	11. Chapter 11

_"Zane... I'm pregnant... it really does only take once..."_

_"Daddy!"_

The doors to his office slid open and he looked up, attention drawn from the photographs on his desk as the girls came dashing down the steps. With school out for the summer, the girls had been allowed to spend time at GD as long as they stayed within designated areas- any of the Directors' offices, the cafeteria, and the rotunda, and, for some strange reason, the Non-Lethal Weapons Lab- and were only allowed in the Section Five if they were going to their father's office; Jo's office was on the same level as the Director's, but they'd spent the majority of the day in Henry's office, and so when the end of the day hit, the director had released them down to Section Five so their father would have a reason to clock out and go home.

The former NASA engineer knew his Section Five Director too well, but he also knew that Zane had three daughters and the pregnant Security Director as his partner, and that, especially with Jo's memory gone, now more than ever he needed to spend time with her. So Henry had told the girls to head down to Section Five, and to only go to their father's office.

"Daddy!" He watched as Cate and Anna followed Ela down the steps into the room. The child rushed around her father's desk, climbing into his lap as he moved his chair back. "Hey, pups, what'd you do? Break out of Uncle Henry's office?"

"Uncle Henry said we could come get you so we can go home." Ela replied as her sisters joined them. "So we can go home and be with Mommy, because she has a baby in her tummy but doesn't remember, and so we help her remember." Cate rolled her eyes at her littlest sister's recitation as Anna spoke up.

"Uncle Henry let Mama leave early because she was tired. Auntie Allie took her out to lunch and then home. Auntie Allie said it's normal for-"

"For a mommy to be tired before her tummy starts to grow more!"

" _El-a!_ I was _getting_ to that!" Zane chuckled softly, setting Ela back on her feet. The youngest girl stuck her tongue out at her sister, and Anna glared at her.

"All right, you two, that's enough. Go wait by the door. All I need to do is log out of my computer and put a few things away and I'll be there. Okay?"

After logging off of his computer and tapping on the button to make the holographic computer disappear, he put the few papers on his desk that needed to be looked over in a folder and then slipped them into the top drawer with the rest of the project proposals he had to look through, stopping as his gaze came to rest on one of the photos on his desk. There were four photographs, gathered in a small cluster in the corner near the small desk lamp, and he picked up the nearest one, studying it.

It had been taken the day Annaleigh had been born, and Jo was settled back in bed, Cate sitting beside her, her small, pudgy hands against her mother's cheeks. Jo's hands rested on her belly, and she was pecking Cate on the lips. He'd managed to capture it before either of his girls realized, and it was still his favorite photograph- out of all the photographs taken over the first three pregnancies. There were a few photos taken during this one as well; Zane had explained to Jo that it was tradition for them, pregnancy photography, at her insistence- _"My dad did it for my mom because she wanted to mark the nine months it took for their family to expand, and I always thought it was a neat idea; they literally marked the expansion of their family through my mom's pregnancies."_ \- and so when they'd gotten pregnant with Cate, Jo had asked the same. And when he'd reminded her two weeks earlier, she'd merely smiled softly and replied,

"My mom did the same; said it was a way to mark the expansion of their family."

Annaleigh had been born four days later- also at home, mainly because they hadn't had time to get to the infirmary. Jo's contractions had really started at two thirty on the morning of eighteenth of July, and she'd labored all morning. Unlike Cate, who'd taken her time coming into the world, Anna had been impatient, and by noon, the pain had been unbearable and the pressure too much for the laboring young mother-to-be of two.

_"Zane... I... feel like I have to push..."_

_He hurried to her, kneeling down beside where she sat back against the pillows of their bed. "Don't push yet, sweetheart-" She reached for his hand, and he gave it, letting her squeeze as another contraction came and her scream cut through the silence. "She's coming?" Jo nodded as Cate came into the room, having been awoken from her nap by her mother's cries. Zane turned to her, smiling softly at the toddler. "Come say 'hi' to Mama, pup." The child made her way towards the bed, and Zane scooped her up, setting her on the bed. "Guess what's happening."_

_Cate turned to him as Jo let out a grunt, hands pressed firmly on either side of her belly. "Baby?"_

_He nodded. "Mhm. Mama's having the baby; your little sister's coming."_

_Cate reached for her mother, reaching up to pat her cheeks. "Okay, Mommy." Jo merely smiled at her oldest daughter, finding a moment midst the pain to kiss her oldest child; Zane had the good sense to grab the camera and freeze the moment in time. She had no regard for modesty at this point, in the midst of a fast labor and most likely faster delivery. As he set the camera down, Jo grit her teeth; Cate slid off the bed; AIDA said something about making the girl a snack so she'd be occupied, to which the young couple were grateful of their AI. Once the toddler was gone, Zane had returned to her side._

_"Zane... I'm pushing... I'm pushing!"_

_"Don't push sweetheart-"_

_She shook her head, panting heavily as she bore down. "I have to... I have to! I can't stop it... I can't..." She pushed herself up, letting out a squeal and clenching both her jaw and her eyes tight as she did as her body commanded, hands moving beneath her knees to spread her legs apart so it was easier to birth. Her waters exploded, for the baby's head had acted as a cork, and she continued to push. "Zane... Zane... she's coming... she's... catch her... catch her..."_

_He returned with towels, climbing up beside her; the baby was already partially out, a head of black curls and one of the shoulders. He quickly checked the cord, and found the baby was safe; as Jo slowly delivered the other shoulder with a squeal, the cord came out, bunched together like an accordion. "That's it, sweetheart-"_

_"The cord... check the cord..."_

_"It's fine, sweetheart, it's fine. She's fine. You're doing so good!" She let out a gasp, sitting back against the pillows as she greedily gulped in air in a rare moment where she wasn't pushing._

_"I need a drink."_

_"Do you want me to get you some water-"_

_"No." She bore down again. Bourbon on the rocks." Zane chuckled softly; even in the midst of strong, hard, fast labor, his lover's dry wit shone through._

_"Another time, sweetheart, maybe after this little one turns a year."_

_She whimpered against the pain. "I deserve it for... pushing your child out of me..."_

_"You deserve so much, darling. If I could find a way to give you the world for what you've given me-"_

_"Zane, shut up and catch her!" She screamed, bearing down again. He chuckled softly, turning his attention back to the baby making her way into the world._

_"That's it... keep pushing, Jojo... that's it, you're doing good... hello, Annaleigh... hi! Yeah, that's it, you're coming-"_

_"Zane... she can't understand you, she's in the process of being born!"_

_"I talked with Cate when-" He retorted._

_"Catie was a maelstrom and she was born during a blackout caused by a storm-"_

_"And it calmed you down-"_

_"Zane, I don't want to be calm right now! I want her out!... God, get her out... get her out of me..."_

_"You're almost done, Jojo, that's it! A few more pushes-"_

_"No... now..." And with a very primal, animalistic scream, their second daughter slid out of her mother in an explosion of fluid and afterbirth. Strong, loud, newborn screams filled the house, and Jo collapsed back, every body, tendon, muscle and nerve suddenly turned to Jello. Cate's small footsteps sounded on the stairs before she came dashing back into the room._

_"Baby?"_

_Jo turned to her daughter, catching her breath with a nod. "Yes, pup, baby." The child scrambled onto the bed, leaning close to look at the squealing infant in her father's arms. He smiled at Cate, kissing her head as he laid her sister against her mother's chest, and her cries softened. Jo's exhausted gaze turned to the baby against her chest, and she smiled. "Oh... we've waited so long to meet you... you beautiful little girl..."_

_"Annaleigh."_

_She met his gaze. "Annaleigh?"_

_"If that's okay? It was the first name I could think of. I know we'd talked about using one of your mother's middle name, but-"_

_"Isabella. Annaleigh Isabella."_

_Zane pulled Cate into his lap as he watched Jo gently brush a kiss to the little girl's head. "She's perfect."_

She'd entered the world at one thirty that afternoon, weighing eight pounds, ten ounces, and had turned her parent's and sister's world upside down. Cate had adored Anna, spending every moment allowed with her, and even now, the girls were still exceedingly close- something that had to be hard on Ela, even if none of them noticed it. Cate and Anna were so close, Ricco often called his two oldest nieces "Twix", like the candy bar, because you never saw one without the other, and though they often didn't _mean_ to, they had a tendency to pick on Ela and boss her around, as most older siblings did, especially when they were younger. And Jo and Zane tried their hardest to keep peace in the house-

Or, well, now Zane did, since Jo was, sadly, utterly clueless.

"Daddy?" He looked up, drawn from the memory of the night of her birth to see his middle child standing by his desk. "Can we go?"

Quickly, Zane set the photograph back on the desk and stood, gathering up his keys and slipping them into his pocket. "Sorry, sweetheart. Got caught up in a memory." He took Anna's hand, joining Cate and Ela. "How about we stop at Café Diem to get dinner and take it home to Mommy so we don't have to worry about cooking?"

"Can we get pizza?"

_"Ela!"_


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I envy Jo in this right now, I really do. She's only carrying one. 
> 
> I, on the other hand, am carrying two- *again.*
> 
> I love my husband, I really do, but now is one of those times where I *hate* that he's a twin...

The water was warm against her skin, and she sighed. In another week, her third month would be over, and she'd enter her second trimester and fourth month of pregnancy. She leaned against the tiled wall, resting her forehead to it as the water continued to rain over her, the shampoo she'd washed out of her hair slipping down her body towards the drain at her feet.

She released a slow breath; she wasn't going to pretend this wasn't overwhelming. It was exceedingly overwhelming. From the girls to Zane to her expanding middle, the checkups and her missing memories- she didn't know if she was coming or going some days. But everyone was so supportive, for many had seen the accident, and all had been relieved that she hadn't lost the baby.

Something had protected them both that day, but she wasn't sure what.

She only knew that the baby growing inside her was her fourth, that she and Zane had made it in March- from what she could gather- and that she was terrified. She had this deep, irritating nagging in the back of her brain, screaming at her that she'd _never_ been pregnant, that she'd _never_ given birth, that this _wasn't_ her life, and that she didn't belong here.

That she was trespassing on a Jo who did belong here, but that didn't make sense. She loved Eureka, she loved her job, and even though she didn't remember them, she loved the girls and Zane, and this baby.

She shut the water off and stepped out of the shower, pulling a robe on as she glanced in the mirror. The robe hung open on her body, and already, her belly was ahead of her. Removing the robe and setting it on the counter, she faced the mirror, studying herself. Her breasts had grown slightly, the areolas darkening, as was common with pregnancy, and they were tender. Her middle had thickened over the last four weeks- a lot- and she was actually starting to _look_ pregnant.

_You're not even to the full end of three months and you already look about six. How big is this baby going to be?_

Though she wasn't that tall, Jo stood at about five feet five and three quarters; it was the heels that gave her the extra couple inches- heels she had to be careful wearing as her pregnancy progressed- and, judging from the photographs of her previous pregnancies, it was all in her belly; if the photos were anything to go by, by the time she reached six months- when she'd 'pop' as Allison told her- her belly would look rounder, fuller and bigger, even though she would be quite small until about the last couple weeks of pregnancy, when she would really start to show.

 _"It's normal for you, Jo. You're five and a half feet tall, and you've been slender your entire life; there's a lot of places for the baby weight to go, but, because this_ is _your fourth baby, you also look bigger, and you may end up carrying lower as you get closer to birth. There's really no right or wrong when growing a baby. Regardless, carrying small, carrying big, it doesn't matter. What matters is that by the time you go into labor, your tummy will be big, and round and smooth, like all pregnant women, and that baby will have no more room to grow, and will_ have _to come out, and let's pray to_ God _you_ actually _make it to the infirmary with this one. I_ swear _, Jo, if you have another unassisted home birth, I'll hang up my coat and retire."_

Jo had simply stared at her, confused, and Allison had had to remind herself that she had no memory of when each of the girls had been born, so she'd merely patted her hand and replied, _"Ask Zane. He'll tell you. He was there with you, for all three of them. But did he_ think _to call me during_ any _of them? Hell no."_

She had snorted softly; clearly, Allison was still holding the births of their daughters over Zane's head and he didn't even know it. She found it funny, even though she had no memory of her husband-

She stopped. _Husband?_ Where had _that_ come from? From what everyone told her, she and Zane weren't married, simply living together. A domestic partnership, with all the benefits of marriage but without the title or certificate, because they hadn't wanted to rush into it and finally decided that it was just a piece of paper and didn't need to define them or their relationship.

A moment passed before she shook her head; she didn't have the energy to ponder that thought, and instead, returned her attention to her belly, hands moving to stroke over it. She could see the faint stretch marks from her previous pregnancies, noted the subtle changes that had occurred during her first three, how her waist had thickened, and her shape had started to really change. _After next week, you'll be four months pregnant, fourteen weeks. And then you'll be five months, and then six, and then seven, and eight, and then nine... and then you'll be in labor, and giving birth and this baby will be making its way_ out _of you-_

She reached down, grabbing the edge of the sink and taking a slow breath. Even though it was nearly six months before the baby would make its appearance in the world, the knowledge that she would have to give birth- that she would be pushing a living, breathing human _being_ out of her body- scared the Hell out of her. Especially since a tiny, traitorous part of her was screaming that she'd never been pregnant before. And yet, the photographs and the maternity clothes, the stretch marks and her rapidly expanding middle all screamed that she had.

"Jo?" Her head snapped up, and she met Zane's blue gaze in the mirror, before quickly grabbing the robe and hastily pulling it on. "Sorry, love, didn't mean to scare you. I just..." He stepped into the bathroom as she pulled the robe closed around her rounding belly. "Are you okay?"

"F... Fine. Just... just... thinking." He nodded, not convinced, but not calling her out on it, either.

"Okay. Well, whenever you're ready, we picked up dinner at Café Diem. I know you've been craving Vincent's veal marsala lately, so when you're ready, we'll see you downstairs, okay?" She nodded, meeting his gaze, and he leaned down, giving her a quick, opened-mouthed kiss that startled her as he pulled away. Warmth began to spread through her heart, and she felt butterflies, but couldn't be sure if was actually nerves or the baby.

"Zane?" He stopped in the bathroom doorway, turning back. Blue eyes studied her as he waited, giving her time to gather her thoughts. "I..." She stopped, biting her lip. Did she dare voice her fears? But before she could definitively decide, the next thing that slipped out of her mouth was, "I'm not sure who, but... someone told me today that... that I look like I'm six months and not three." She nervously let the robe fall away, and glanced down at her belly. "Do I?"

He leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms. "Turn to the side." Slowly, she did as told, watching him. He studied her, a contemplative look on his face, before he pushed himself away from the doorframe and made his way towards her. A deep sigh escaped him as his slipped his arms around her waist, pulling her close. "You have nothing to worry about, Jojo." He leaned down, capturing her lips in a deep kiss; she rose onto her toes, curling a hand into his shirt as the kiss deepened briefly and he gently pulled her closer. Sparks raced up her spine, and she deepened the kiss-

He slowly pulled away, nuzzling his nose against hers for several minutes before pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. "Jojo, you're _pregnant_." He brought a hand around the rest against her belly. "You're uterus is growing because our baby is growing and that means your belly expands. So what if you look like you're six months but your only three? Who cares? The person who asked? They're not going through the miracle that is pregnancy, nor are they witnessing it like I am. They're not seeing all the beautiful changes taking place inside and outside your body every day." He reached up, taking her face in his hands. "Jo, they aren't feeling our baby shift and move inside you, watching your belly move with our baby's movement. They aren't watching this... amazing moment grow and get more and more... breathtaking with each day that passes."

"But-"

"Jo, I love it when you're pregnant, because I get to watch you change. I get to see you become softer, and gentler, and smoother with each day. I get to see your tenderness come out and your awe at the realization that you're _growing our child_. I get to witness the moment our child comes _into_ the world, and how _strong_ you are, while you're in labor- the strength you possess, the bravery you show, the focus and investment in those moments as your cervix is softening and your contractions are getting stronger- it's the most _beautiful_ thing I've ever seen." He gently stroked her cheek. "I'm no longer watching my wife, I'm watching this... _astounding_ woman... this... _living goddess_... push another _human being_ out of her _body_ and into the world. Do you understand how _precious_ that is? How _honored_ I am to be there to witness that amazing moment?" He rested his forehead to hers briefly, nudging his nose against hers.

"But-"

"Jo, the size of your belly doesn't matter, how you look doesn't matter, in the grand scheme of things. You're _growing_ our _baby_. Sweetheart, we made a _baby_ , and it's growing bigger and stronger with each day, and that's _all_ that matters- that our baby is strong and healthy- now in your womb, and when it comes out. The size of your belly doesn't matter, and those who say things like that don't matter. Only us, our girls, and this baby. Those are the people who matter. Us, our girls and this baby. Okay?"

_"You, me, and our girls, Jojo. You, me, and our girls."_

She forced herself to take a slow breath, and nodded. He smiled softly at her. "Good." His mouth found herself once more, and he drank in the taste of her with a quick, chaste kiss before pressing a tender one to her forehead before pulling away. "Now come on, hurry up and get dressed. I'm afraid the girls may start without us if we don't get down there." As he left and returned downstairs, Jo reached up, brushing her fingers to her lips, a small smile tugging at her lips.


	13. Chapter 13

_"Anytime I need to see your face, I just close my eyes_   
_And I am taken to a place where your crystal mind_   
_And magenta feelings take up shelter in the base of my spine_   
_Sweet like a chic-a-cherry cola_   
_I don't need to try to explain_   
_I just hold on tight_   
_And if it happens again, I might move so slightly_   
_To the arms and the lips and the face of the human cannonball_   
_That I need to, I want to_

_Come stand a little bit closer_   
_Breathe in and get a bit higher_   
_You'll never know what hit you_   
_When I get to you_

_Ooh, I want you, I don't know if I need you but_   
_Ooh, I'd die to find out_   
_Ooh, I want you, I don't know if I need you but_   
_Ooh, I'd die to find out (ooh I, ooh I)_   
_(So can we find out?)"_

_\- I Want You,_

_Savage Garden_

_Fourteen Weeks_

She went up two bra sizes midway through her fourteenth week, and they were starting to itch, the skin around her areolas darkening even more. A lot of her morning sickness had vanished, and the extra energy had kicked in- which Jo considered a good thing, meaning she could get more done, and work on figuring out how to get her memory back-

Even if it meant ignoring Allison's orders to relax and let her brain work itself out on its own.

But Allison, seeing that Jo was blatantly ignoring her orders, enlisted Zane's help to get her to relax.

And for them, that meant taking two weeks and spending time at the cabin.

_"It's... not what I was expecting."_

_"What were you expecting, Mama?"_

_"I don't know... but this isn't it."_

She jumped, pulled out of the memory by the feel of Zane's hand on her back and she turned. He and the girls had already moved their things to the cabin, as she'd stood taking it in. It was a beautiful little cabin, like something out of a storybook, two stories with a good-sized porch with a swing and a path leading to the steps. "Shall we go in?" She nodded, taking his hand and letting him tug her gently down the path towards the steps.

Once inside, she felt her breath catch. A spacious living room with an open kitchen, and a set of stairs that led to the second floor, with a hallway that led to the bathroom and master bedroom on the ground floor. After a moment, Zane let her go ahead of him up the stairs; the second floor was split into three rooms- a play area at the back, near the window, with a reading nook, and then two rooms for the girls; each room had twin beds, wardrobes, and desks to draw or play games on- Cate and Anna shared one, and Ela had the other to herself- or she would, until the baby came, and was old enough to share the room with her.

_"Loft beds? Why four?"_

_"In case one of the girls' friends wants to come, or... or we decide to finally have another baby."_

She turned to him, meeting his gaze. "Four twin beds? You've thought of our baby before it's even born. Did you know we were going to have another?"

Zane opened his mouth to speak, brow furrowing in confusion, before he decided against it and smiled. "I hoped." She chuckled softly, taking his hand and resting it on her belly.

"Well your hope paid off."

After dinner and a movie- the TV was specifically meant to play movies- and the girls were tucked in bed, Jo and Zane settled on the porch swing, cups of coffee and tea on the small end table beside the swing. Jo had curled into his side, and he had his arm around her, holding her close. She snuggled into him, one hand on her belly. Zane sighed in contentment, brushing another kiss to her head, before his gaze moved downwards. He watched with silent amusement as her hand slipped beneath the cherry red sweater she wore, the fabric moving slightly as she stroked the expanding skin. She had been forced to switch to maternity clothes at the beginning of the week, which had annoyed her to no end.

She was fourteen _weeks_ pregnant. She looked closer to six and a half _months_.

Allison had told her she would 'pop' around six months; she forgot that for Jo, this was her _fourth_ pregnancy, not her first. So when the Security Director came into work the first day of her fourteenth week, all she got were compliments and comments on how she looked good, how she did she feel, hope everything was okay, and the comment that had to be said at least once- 'Oh, Director Lupo, look at you, looking pregnant. You look adorable.' Jo had simply stared at Doctor Rose with a confused look on her face, before she'd smiled and thanked her before going up to her office.

If they were honest, Jo had started looking pregnant at twelve weeks- thanks to three previous pregnancies- but it hadn't been as _noticeable_ as now. Now, everyone noticed that she looked pregnant- she'd 'popped' as Allison had told her. Jo wasn't too proud to admit that for some reason, the glances she got from several of the other scientists- especially the women- sent a tiny thrill through her spine. She knew that many of them were jealous of their relationship- for their genius IQs, they were horrible at hiding jealousy- and the sight of her growing belly reminded them that Zane would never be available; he was as committed to Jo as she was to him- regardless of whether she remember him or not. A good number of the female staff at GD had assumed- wrongly- that the accident that had cost Jo her memory had cost her the baby as well, and that if that happened, Zane was leave her. And when it turned out the baby was fine, and that Zane wasn't leaving her, they turned their jealousy on Jo, who, despite her missing memory, recognized spite when she saw it.

Though she didn't say anything, she made it very clear that Zane belonged to her; not just with the baby growing inside her, but in little ways- the squeeze of a hand, a lingering kiss, the brush of his hand against her belly, a darkening bite on the side of his neck. As she neared the end of the first week of her fourth month, her energy surged, and she got as much done as she was allowed at work; though Allison was more lenient at home. And as her energy surged, so too did her appetites.

Despite her missing memories- or perhaps _because_ of them- Jo found herself craving Zane's touch and kiss more and more. She desired his taste, his smell, his feel, that spark that spread warmth through her heart and up her spine. She knew it was important, but she couldn't remember _why_ ; just that it only occurred for them, and when they were either in close proximity or touching. That spark sent her heart racing and her stomach doing flip flops. It thrilled her and calmed her at the same time, and the baby was often much more active- and that was saying something, considering how active the baby normally was- whenever Zane was touching her or or talking to her.

Zane pressed a kiss to her forehead, reaching down to slip his hand beneath her sweater and rest his hand over hers. His long fingers gently stroked her knuckles, and she nuzzled her nose against his shoulder. He pressed another kiss to her head, sighing in contentment. "Oh, Jo," He pressed another kiss to her head. "my beautiful Josephina." She slowly lifted her head, meeting his gaze.

She wanted to kiss him. Wanted to touch him in _that_ way, wanted to make love to _him_ , and him make love to _her_. She wanted his taste, his touch, his smell, to wrap around her as they had sex and made love, hands touching and mouths tasting as they tangled in the sheets of their bed, screaming for each other only to repeat the process again and again, long into the early pre-dawn hours, as the sun came up over Timothy Lake and cast the world into morning... She wanted to watch him press kiss and after kiss to her expanding belly before ducking down to eat her. She had discovered that _everything_ was a thousand times more sensitive now that she was pregnant- even the simple brush of her underwear against her clitoris would arouse her to the point where she was wet.

Jo had _always_ had a high sex drive- she was equal to Zane in that respect- and she had always enjoyed sex, regardless of where, when or how; oral, fingering or vaginal, at home or at work, she wanted it, regardless of who saw or how long they had. Quickies were just as fulfilling as long, drawn out romantic sessions; fucks, sex and making love were only different in regards to the amount of care and attention placed on them, as far as she was concerned. Yes, Jo's sex drive was exceedingly high; not bordering on addiction, but high enough that when she wanted it, she wasn't satisfied until she got it, and once she got it, she was good until the next time she desired it. But she also desired the nights without sex, when they were spent curled up in each others' arms, sharing pillow talk or silence. Jo was a complicated creature, but when she found her habits, she stuck with them and was content.

She didn't need to struggle to regain her memory to know that. She didn't need to regain her memory to recognize the desire smouldering in his blue gaze, or the warmth in her heart from his touch. She could feel it, see it, taste it in the air around them.

Gently, she removed her and from beneath her sweater and reached up, caressing his cheek. He reached up, covering her hand with his. She could feel her desire beginning to stir in her belly, the familiar throbbing between her legs as her clitoris swelled and became sensitive. Her underwear rubbed against it, and she swallowed hard, forcing the whimper down, but not fast enough. Her gaze darted between his eyes and his lips repeatedly before she leaned up, pressing a soft kiss to his lips.

It lasted only a few minutes, before she pulled away. "Are you sure, Jojo?" He nudged his nose against hers. "I know Allison's said that sex during pregnancy is allowed, and that mild cramps are normal, but you don't have your memory, and I don't want to do anything without y-"

She pressed her fingers against his lips, meeting his gaze. The next words that came out of her mouth were driven by desire and desire only. "I want you. In every way allowed while this baby is growing in me. I want you to search my mouth with your tongue, to run your hands over my belly, to tease my nipples through my bra until they're hard. I want to watch you kiss your way down my body, press kisses to my belly, watch you roll my clit between your fingers and feel the sensations roll through me..." She swallowed. "I want to watch you duck down between my legs, feel you kiss my inner thighs and delve your fingers into me and work me until I reach the brink and then replace your fingers with your mouth... I want to feel the sensations tugging at every nerve and cell in my body as you eat me, because you can do such... arousing things with your tongue... drive me to the brink, make me come. I want to watch you wipe me from your mouth before returning to me... as you brush yourself, hard and long and _thick_ and _full_ against my thigh before pushing into me hard," She swallowed thickly, shifting slightly at the throbbing.

Zane raised an eyebrow, watching her shift uncomfortably, and he smirked gently, recognizing that she'd managed to arouse herself with her talk- something Jo was _exceedingly_ good at, _especially_ when she was pregnant. It hadn't been uncommon during her last three pregnancies, for Zane to come into her office for something, and find her shifting uncomfortably because something had popped into her head or crossed her desk and she'd associated it with sex. At least once during each previous pregnancy, it had resulted in either a quick fuck, the occasional moment of making love, a hasty fingering, or, on more than one occasion, a long, drawn out oral session that brought her too or past the brink and over into orgasm. The sight of her sated and satisfied, completely relaxed, blouse untucked and unbuttoned, growing belly before her, was often enough to satisfy him and he often spent several minutes after sharing soft kisses and whispered words before returning to work.

And as her pregnancy continued, her desires grew; sure, they waned at the start of the third trimester, but the closer it got to birth, then her desire returned, until they were even having sex up until the moment her contractions got truly strong. He knew Jo; her sex drive didn't diminish, not much, even when heavily pregnant. And regardless of whether she had her memories or amnesia, that wasn't likely to change this time around. "push into me hard and then pull out and tease my like you do before you push back into me hard. Make me scream for it, make my _toes curls_ , Zane. Shift me onto my hands and knees and push into me vaginally from behind; you always go so deep when you do that. And play with my breasts, stroke my nipples and trace the skin, and then move down and slip your hand between my legs and roll my clit between your fingers, press your nails against it until I explode around you. I'm already pregnant, you can't get me pregnant again. So let's do it without the condoms; it's pleasurable with them, but oh my God, it will be so much more without them now, because I'm more sensitive down there."

She shifted until her legs were dangling over the side and she'd pressed her thighs together, to try to stop her arousal, but the desire and her words were doing the opposite. With each nervous fidget of her legs, the desire built up, and she bit her lip, meeting his gaze. "I want to do it out here, on the porch, and in our bed, and on the stairs, and in the kitchen and the living room, and out on the path, anywhere we can. I want nothing but you and me, joined in that way, repeatedly, screaming for each other, exploding from orgasm-"

He reached up, gently removing her hand from his mouth; he'd been quiet and patient as she talked, but now she sat nervously licking her lips. He could see the surprise on her face, for she didn't remember, and yet... and yet, her body remembered, and it was her body that was driving her at the moment, even if her mind was blank. _"Please, Zane."_ She whimpered, hands resting on her belly; they slowly trailed over her bump, down towards the area between her legs. "Fuck me, have sex with me, make love with me, eat me, finger me, do all of it... _please_... _I want you... I need you..._ " Gently, he reached up, cradling her face in his hand.

His blue gaze studied her for a moment, saw the shock and horror shimmering in her eyes at what she'd said, and he gently rested his forehead to hers. She was so adorable- pregnant and not- but there was something about her when she was pregnant that tugged at his soul. Maybe it was the innocence he saw in her caramel gaze- innocence their daughters had inherited- or the silent, lingering doubts she still felt about how their lives had turned out- three children with another on the way, living together but not married- that small fear that she'd disappointed her mother, who had always reminded her daughter of how important marriage was.

Or maybe it was the unabashed love he saw shimmering in those caramel depths, that he tasted on her kiss, felt in her touch, or the spark that jumped between them and warmed his heart whenever he was even in the same proximity as her, amnesia or not. He rested his forehead to hers momentarily.

"I love you."


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Smut.... explicit... smut... 
> 
> Oh, Zanie, you didn't hold anything back in this story, did you? I think the only saving grace is that Jo's right, she's already pregnant so she can't get pregnant again... - Licia

She threw herself at him with a squeal, her arms going around his neck as her mouth found his. The swing rocked hard, and he grabbed her waist, keeping her steady as he sat up, breaking the kiss. "Maybe we'd better move this away from the-" But she'd captured his mouth with hers, a deep, searching kiss that distracted him enough for her to grab his hands and slip them beneath her sweater. She rested then against her belly, feeling the spark flare greatly between them.

Jo had learned the week before that it wasn't just their close proximity to each other that caused their spark to explode, but the baby. Whenever Zane was near, whenever he said anything, or touched her, the baby reacted too, shifting and stretching and kicking; it wasn't uncommon for Jo to feel movement sooner- with each baby, her body had become accustomed to pregnancy, so by now, with her fourth, even if her mind didn't remember, her body did and could identify what it was. And every time Zane was near or touching her, the baby reacted and moved, as though excited to have their daddy near.

She giggled into the kiss as the baby moved, stretching against her belly, against her hands and Zane's. He broke the kiss. "Is that... the baby's really-" She nodded, giggling. "And you're sure it's-"

"Baby number four, remember?" She asked, reaching up to caress his cheek with a laugh before kissing him. He wrapped his arms around her waist, capturing her mouth with his. They rose slightly off the swing, and Zane took this minute opportunity to slip his hand beneath her sweater and caress the curve of her belly, feeling the baby shift at his touch, before he moved down and gently popped the button on her maternity jeans and then shifted the zipper down before slipping his hand down between her thighs, finding the crotch of her boy shorts.

"Oh, sweetheart..." He kissed her sweetly before trailing kisses up her cheekbone towards her ear. "You're soaked."

She hummed softly in contentment as he nipped at her earlobe and kissed the space beneath her ear before moving down her neck and back up to kiss her mouth. "Good." She met his gaze, pressing herself closer, tightening her thighs around his hand, pressing him against her. She smiled, nervously glancing away. "I... aroused myself, but... I thought you could..." She knew it made no sense and blushed as her thighs tightened again, whimpering softly and he kissed her.

"Easy, Jo, relax." She did so, and once she had, he slipped his fingers between her underwear, trailing along her engorged lips and sending chills up her spine, before moving towards the pulsing bundle of nerves that was her clitoris and rolling it once. She gasped, rising slightly and closing her legs tightly as her mouth found his once more. When she slowly relaxed, he moved down and after trailing a finger along her lips, slipped it into her and she whimpered, shifting excitedly.

There was something so beautiful and innocent and playful and sexual about watching his pregnant wife not only arouse herself, but react as she was to his basic touch, like the slipping of a finger into her engorged, exceedingly sensitive vagina. Pregnancy was one of those rare instances where a woman's desires often went beyond what was normal for them- and in this case, Jo's sex drive went into _over_ drive, where the slightest touch could send her struggling with arousal. He loved watching her, because it was a side of her he very rarely saw- like the major vulnerability she showed in the midst of labor. It was that exposed emotion that made him fall more and more in love with her with each day.

"Zane..." She whimpered, rocking against him, and after a moment, he kissed her head and slipped another finger into her; she whimpered again, rocking against his hand, and he chuckled, kissing her soundly. It was this kiss that gave him the opportunity to start working on her, stroking his fingers in a 'come hither' motion, that simply made her speed up her rocking. _"Oh... Zane..."_

They continued like this until she came hard over his fingers with with a muffled scream, burying her face in his shoulder to keep from waking the girls above them. Zane chuckled softly, removing his fingers from inside her and between her thighs. In the dimness of the light, she could see her arousal coating his fingers, and smiled softly, before capturing his mouth in hers, the meaning clear. She wanted more, she wanted _him_ , _all_ of him, out here, on the porch swing, on the porch-

"We should be careful, the last thing I want is you getting hurt, and not that this isn't exceedingly steady, it is, but I don't think two of us on it would be a good thing right now." He slipped off the porch swing and she whimpered. "Shh." He gently rested a finger against her lips, soon replacing it with his mouth in a tender kiss, his hands reaching down to trail over her belly towards her jeans. She'd started wearing maternity clothes at ten weeks, and despite her grumbling, he'd put his foot down in regards to the technology often used in some of the clothing in the boutiques on Main meant to 'hide' a pregnancy-

_"Everyone knows your pregnant, Jo. It's not a secret, and even if was, it shouldn't be. They know this is our fourth, they know you've got thirty weeks left. Why hide it? Pregnancy is... beautiful and empowering and... amazing. You're a goddess among men because you're bringing our baby into the world. Don't you understand that? It's not flaunting by allowing your belly to grow and change and that other people see it. It's natural and beautiful and there's nothing wrong with that."_

Zane had spent three of the last twelve years watching her body grow and change and seeing the beauty that came from pregnancy and childbirth. He understood- better than most men- how her fears and worries would take hold, because he'd been there for her three times before, comforting her with each meltdown and angry outburst, taking into account how her expanding belly influenced her shift in moods and appetites. From her fears to her desires, he'd been there for all of them, calming her and wiping away her tears as her anxieties reared their ugly heads and kissing her and pleasing her when her desires for sex surged. By now, Zane was an old pro at keeping his wife content and being in tune with her moods; he knew what he could and couldn't do to her during sex and was diligent about making sure she and the baby were both safe.

And right now, her sexual appetites were in control and he would do all he could to satisfy her.

"Zane-"

He glanced at her and the then knelt before her, gently parting her knees; she settled back against the swing, slouching down out of habit. He slid his hands up her jean-clad thighs, before tugging the zipper the rest of the way and then moving to gently shift her jeans down her legs. They pooled at her ankles, and after a moment, she lifted her feet out of them and he set them aside as her bare feet returned to the smooth wood of their porch. He slid his hands up her thighs, tracing gently over the stretch marks left from her previous pregnancies that decorated her thighs in soft silver, up towards the lace trim of her boy shorts. He gently hooked a finger into the crotch and tugged them down her thighs; the strong scent of her arousal filled the air, and once they too were off, he dropped them beside her jeans and turned his attention back to her.

The growing curve of her belly cast a slight shadow over her vaginal area, and he leaned over, pressing soft kisses against the marks on her thighs, watching as she tugged the hem of her sweater up and stroked her fingers absentmindedly over her belly- a habit of hers when she was relaxed, regardless of whether they'd just had sex or not. Her caramel gaze met his, and she pushed herself up slightly; the swing shifted, and he grabbed her thighs to steady her as she scooted closer to the edge. The mere touch sent warmth through her heart and up her spine, and leaned close, being careful of her belly as she leaned down to kiss him deeply. The kiss only last a few moments as the baby shifted and kicked in protest to being squashed by Jo's movements, and soft laughter escaped both of them as their gazes moved to her belly.

He reached up, resting a hand to her belly, which she covered. Their gazes locked and he kissed her once, before leaning down and kissing her belly. Her heart flipped in excitement as she watched him trail kisses over the sensitive skin, before he ducked down and flicked his tongue over her clitoris. That simple moment sent desire flooding through her, and she straightened, whimpering softly as her teeth came out to grasp her lip. His mouth then moved to the lips of her vagina, engorged and sensitive from arousal.

Zane took his time, doing little things to make her squirm in desire, sliding his hands along her thighs, thumbs brushing over the stretch marks as he worked on her, tongue taking long, leisurely laps; she dug her fingers into the cushion of the swing beneath her, one hand reaching up to tangle in his hair at one point as he worked. He could feel it, in the way her legs began to shake, in the way her breathing picked up, in the whimpers she tried so hard to keep quiet. She exploded with a whimper, teeth digging into her lower lip to keep herself from waking the girls, and as Zane sat back and wiped his mouth, her eyes opened, and she smiled softly at him as she reached to curl her fingers in his shirt.

Their mouths met in a deep kiss, and he drank her in, tongue searching the crevices of her mouth before he pulled away and pecked her softly. He then knelt, grabbing her clothes and helping her dress. "Zane, I don't-"

"Just in case one of the girls is up and comes downstairs. I don't know about you, but I don't particularly want to try to explain why Mommy's half-dressed." Once back inside, Zane tugged her towards the bedroom. Once behind the locked bedroom door, Jo tugged on his shirt with a giggle; he obliged, tossing it aside before reaching out and tugging her sweater off her and tossing it to join his shirt. He leaned down, brushing soft kisses to the growing swells of her breasts before gently teasing each nipple through the fabric of her bra. She gasped softly as they hardened, before reaching down and hooking a hand into his jeans.

"Fuck me the way dogs do. Please." He brushed a kiss to her forehead, hearing the thick desire that coated her words. That spark ignited, becoming a wildfire that soon consumed them both, and Jo soon found herself on her hands and knees on their bed among the blankets. With each deep thrust, her arousal grew stronger, each touch brought her closer; his hand moved up to caress her belly, and she groaned as his blunt nails gently skimmed over the sensitive skin, and the baby shifted in response to Zane's touch.

On occasion, he slowed down, partially to calm himself and give her time to catch her breath, and in those moments, he kissed her, nipped her, bit and sucked and scraped until her soft olive skin began to turn dark. Over and over and over again, he left the marks upon her skin- her back, her shoulders, her neck and arms and chest, the swelling flesh of her breasts, her thighs were already mottled in bruises... everywhere but her belly, but her belly itself was proof enough that she belonged to him. He saw the looks other men at GD gave her, the longing for that be their child she was carrying and not his, the blatant desire to steal her away from him- because a good majority of the men who worked at GD felt he didn't deserve her. He was the screw-up, the felon, spending a year in federal for computer crimes and hacking before being sent to Eureka on parole and being given the position as Director of Section Five.

Throw in that he'd managed to get the much desired Security Director pregnant out of wedlock not long after their second date, but hadn't married her, and had instead developed this relationship with her- like the women were jealous of Jo and blatant about it, so too were the men jealous of Zane and just as blatant. And with each pregnancy, their jealousies had grown, some of them outright, many saying within both his and Jo's earshot that he didn't deserve her and the children she'd given birth to, that she deserved a real man. _Any man who says a woman deserves a real man clearly doesn't know what a 'real man' is, and clearly isn't one,_ as Henry liked to say.

He captured her mouth in his, drinking deeply from her as she reached up and tangled a hand in his hair, as they got closer, and closer and closer to the edge-

She let out a shriek of desire, before clapping a hand over her mouth, realizing she had probably woken the girls who were sound asleep above them. He replaced her hand with his mouth, taking her shrieks as her orgasm washed over her, giving her his as he soon followed. They straightened and she tangled her hands deeper in his hair, as his hands came to rest on her belly; the baby shifted in her womb, and as they came down from their high, Jo reached down, covering his hands with hers, though they didn't break the kiss.


	15. Chapter 15

She stretched, something jarring her from her sleep; it was five minutes to midnight, five minutes before she went from fourteen weeks to fifteen, and after a moment, she sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes with a yawn. Zane was sound asleep beside her, and after a moment, she got up. They weren't going back to Eureka until the next week, so she would spent the fifteenth week of her pregnancy relaxing with her husband and daughters, watching movies, playing board games, putting together puzzles, going to the lake, making s'mores around the small fire pit out back or sitting in front of the fireplace in the living room under a blanket while the stars winked through the window.

It was a relatively calm existence, these days at the cabin, and a small part of her wished they could last.

She quickly grabbed the kettle before it could sing, and fixed her tea, going into the living room and browsing the shelves. Like the house on Coriolis Loop, the cabin felt lived in, loved, and clearly showed the signs of a growing family- especially three growing girls. Pictures of the girls making s'mores or playing in the lake stood on the mantle, and she sipped her tea in silence as one hand caressed her belly. Mid-sip, she stopped, gaze landing on one of the photos, and she gently set her cup on the mantle before picking up the photograph.

Zane's passion for photography was evident; the man had a gifted eye, able to capture light and shadow in a way that brought the photos he took to life, even behind the frame. She studied the picture in her hand, brow furrowing even as a soft smile tugged at her features. She caressed her belly absentmindedly as she wandered from the mantle to the sofa, her tea forgotten. Carefully, she took a seat, continuing to stroke the skin of her growing middle, even as her thumb stroked the faces in the frame.

The photograph seemed familiar to her, as though she'd lived the moment it had captured, but she couldn't remember due to the amnesia. It was a beautiful shot, and she blushed as she realized it was her, and they were here, at the cabin, and she was in the midst of labor, if the look on her face was any indication; Cate sat beside her, small hands on her mother's knee, and Anna sat on her other side, lips pressed against her cheek. It was a very exposing photograph, if she were honest.

She was completely nude and her hair pulled back in a loose bun; after a moment, she realized they were on the porch, and she was squatting, holding to the railing of the porch behind her, legs spread wide. It took another moment before she realized that even though she was in the midst of labor, head thrown back to catch her breath, eyes closed, the baby's head was fully out of her, as well as one of the shoulders. It was an exceedingly vulnerable, exposing shot, not only of her, but of their daughters, for Cate looked to be about four and Anna around two, so this must have been-

"Ela." She looked up as Zane came over to her, cup of tea in his hands. He picked hers from the mantle and handed it to her as he took a seat beside her and she set the photograph down. "Elie-bean was born here."

"She was?" He nodded.

"You were two days overdue, and so I'd asked Allison of we could come to the cabin- one last little family vacation before the baby came and our girls became three instead of two. She agreed, figuring there was no harm, you were right on time and fairly regular when it came to having babies. All she asked, was that if you went into labor or your water broke, that I call her, and she'd come out- no matter the time- and deliver her best friend's third baby." She chuckled softly as he sipped his tea. "Things went fine, the drive was fine. We got in about... four that afternoon, had dinner, played a couple board games, watched a couple movies. Put the girls to bed, went out to the porch, stayed up talking after. Just as we were about to go to bed," He stopped, a small smile tugging at his lips as Jo propped her elbow on the back of the sofa and rested her head on her knuckles. "I got up, held out my hand to help you, and you just shook your head. Didn't have to say a word; I knew the look on your face. You were in the middle of labor. You'd been in labor all day but had ignored it." He turned his attention back to the photograph, picking it up and studying it. "You are _not_ a quiet woman; you have never _been_ a quiet woman. No matter what you do, quietness during labor is not your strong suit."

"The girls woke up." He nodded.

_"Jo, honey, shh, we don't want to wake the girls-"_

_"Don't... tell me to be quiet, Zane Matthew... you try being quiet... while you're body's... getting ready to... to push a small watermelon-sized human out of you..." She tossed her head, sitting back against the sofa. "Why couldn't she be fast like Anna? Oh... this baby's taking her time..." She pushed herself up, bearing down with a grunt, in the hopes that the extra pressure would help the contractions and building pressure to break her water. "God... please..." She panted heavily, tossing her head. "You've been bulging for two weeks... you need to break so she can come out..."_

_Zane took a seat beside her on the step, gently rubbing her back and whispering softly to her. "You're doing good, sweetheart. I'm so proud of you." He reached up, brushing a wayward strand of hair out of her eyes. She met his gaze, choking on a sob. "You keep giving me the most amazing gifts... and the only way I can think to repay you is by telling you that I love you and I know it's not enough for the miracles you've pushed out into the world."_

_She reached up, caressing his cheek. "... I don't need anything, Zane... just you... and our girls..." She let out a grunt at the next contraction. "All... three... of them..." After several minutes, Zane helped her up and she took to pacing the porch, hands on her lower back. She would stop every so often when a contraction grabbed her around the waist, and her bellows and shrieks echoed in the quiet, for they were fifty miles outside Eureka, and one of the few cabins occupied not during spring break._

_"Daddy?" Zane turned from rubbing Jo's back as she leaned against the porch railing._

_"Catie, Annie, what are you two doing up? You're supposed to be asleep."_

_Cate's blue eyes darted to where her mother stood, her back to them. "Baby." Zane turned to glance back at who, Jo lowered herself into a squatting position with a groan as another contraction hit._

_"That's right, Catie. The baby's coming. How about you and Annie go see Mommy."_

_Just as the girls made their way over to her, she let out a squeal, and the girls jumped back as her waters exploded. "Zane!" Once clear, they rushed to either side of her. Cate reached up and patted her mother's cheeks as Anna pressed a kiss to her other cheek. Seconds later, the head appeared with an audible 'pop!', and she bore down, feeling one of the shoulders move towards her opening, and Zane grabbed the camera, freezing the moment in time. "It's out... the head... the cord... she she okay..."_

_He set the camera down and quickly hurried to her, kneeling in front of her and reaching up to gently cradle the baby's head. A moment passed as he tenderly removed the cord from the baby's neck, smiling at Jo. "She's good, Jojo. She's good. I promise." Before his wife could speak, a scream interrupted them, and Jo choked on a laugh._

_"Like her sister... has something to... say before she's... even fully out..." This went on for hours, for despite the delivery of the head being relatively fast, the rest of the labor took its time, with quick, intermittent bursts in between. A moment passed, before Cate leaned down, blue eyes widening as she turned back to her mother._

_"Mommy... baby's out..."_

_Jo chuckled softly, reaching up to caress her oldest daughter's cheek with a nod. "That's right, Catie... baby's out... almost..." She grit her teeth and bore down again, feeling the first shoulder finally pop out of her, followed quickly by the other one. She reached up, taking a hold of the railing and putting her weight on it as she rose slightly, trying to get comfortable, though it was difficult when there was a small human being hanging between her legs. The door slammed shut as Zane came back outside with towels and a bowl of warm water to clean the baby once she was fully born._

_He set the stuff on the porch not far away, and reached up, brushing strands of hair out of her eyes. "Hey, how you doing, Jojo? Huh? How's my girl doing?" She opened her eyes, releasing a breath._

_"I want it to be over."_

_"I know you do, love. You aren't the only one." He glanced at the girls. "I think we all want this to be over so we can meet her."_

_She huffed, shifting slightly to release the pressure on her feet. "She needs to come... soon..."_

_"She's halfway out, love. You're almost done-"_

_Her labor continued, until the stars overhead were the only witness to the arrival of the newest Donovan daughter. Cate and Anna had refused to go back to bed, wanting to be there when the new baby finally came into the world, and they sat on either side of Jo, telling her stories and giving reassurances as her labor progressed. Most of the time Jo didn't hear her daughters, so focused on birthing was she, but other times, their soft reassurances- "Okay, Mommy." or "Be over soon, Mommy."- warmed her heart, that she and Zane had made two such sweet, caring little girls before this newest one._

_As the stars winked overhead, things began to change; the contractions continued to ride one on top of the other, coming in rapid succession as the baby slid out of her to the hips. It was a feeling deep in her heart, that screamed that this little girl would finally complete their family- at least, for the time being. "Zane! She's almost out! She's almost-"_

_"I know, Jojo, I'm right here. I haven't left, I'm right here, I've got her. I've got you both. I've got all four of you. You're safe." He gently cradled the baby as she dangled out of her mother, and Jo squealed, reaching down to tug her knees back further; the girls helped their mother sit, and she quickly pulled her knees back, opening her hips the last little bit she needed to too finally deliver her last daughter._

_"Oh, God, Zane, she's coming! She's coming out!" She bore down, gritting her teeth with a squeak. "Catch her! Zane, catch her... she's coming..." Cate jumped at her mother's bellow, covering her ears with her hands; she'd never heard such a sound come from her Mommy before and it startled her. "... oh, God..."_

_"Almost, Jo. Just a couple more push, sweetheart. A couple more-"_

_Jo shook her head, eyes snapping such as she gave one final, strong, hard push. "... she's out..." Her screams echoed in the darkness, and the baby slid into her father's arms. Anna covered her hears with her hands as her mother's screams faded and her newborn baby sister's got louder. Cate wrinkled her nose. "She's... here..."_

_"She's here." Zane whispered, tearing his gaze from his baby to meet Jo's. The pair shared a smile as Jo settled back against the porch railing, catching her breath. "She's... she's big..." She chuckled._

_"Isn't that normal for us?" She reached for him. "Give her to me. I want to see her. You got to watch her come out of me, got to hold her as she was coming out. It's my turn." Gently, he laid the baby against her chest and the cries calmed. The girls watched as the bud on their Mommy's breast hardened and poked out, and the baby instinctively shifted towards it, taking not just the bud but the whole darkened circle around it into her mouth. "Hello, baby... hi... you took your time coming out of me... but it's okay, you're here now and that's all that matters."_

_"What's her name?" Cate asked, and Jo glanced at Zane. They had bounced around a couple names but hadn't settled permanently. The one thing Jo wanted was that her mother's other middle name be used- Rosalie. And Zane was fine with it, but it just didn't seem to fit as a first name, especially seeing her. The pair had made a list of names they liked, but there was only one name on it each had leaned towards- Zane had liked Ellen, and Jo had liked Lenor-_

_"Eleanora." Zane met her gaze, and knew immediately what she'd done._

_"Eleanora?" Zane nodded at his oldest daughter._

_"Mhm. Eleanora Rosalie Donovan." He met Jo's gaze, and she smiled softly at him, before turning her gaze to the baby at her breast._

_"Ela." Anna piped up, and the others turned to her; Zane chuckled, testing it on his tongue._

_"Ela." He glanced at each of his girls in turn. "Anna, and Cate. Three perfect names for three perfect girls."_

"We compromised. On her name." Zane looked up, pulled from the memory, and he nodded.

"We did. And honestly, it's absolutely perfect for her." He set the photo down and sat back, reaching out to caress her belly. Jo bit her lip, before reaching down to cover his hand. She opened her mouth, before feeling the baby shift at the feel of Zane's hand. "You look like you want to say something, Jojo."

"Have we... thought of a name for this little one?" She gently squeezed his hand. "I know we don't know what we're having yet, but... we've considered names, right?"

"We have." She raised an eyebrow. "And?" He stood, moving around the coffee table to the bookshelf. A moment passed before he came back, handing he a slip of paper. "'Boys' and 'Girls'?" She quickly studied the list as he nodded, recognizing several names she liked- Theresa, Grace, Calista, Lauren, Daphne, Cressida; Alexander, Nicholas, Theodore, Jackson, Michael, James- and then met his gaze. "'Grace and Theresa? Theodore? James?"

"People who are important to us. The girls each have a piece of your mother's name. Annaleigh was my grandmother's middle name, and my aunt's first name- Aunt Annaleigh as mom's twin. I absolutely loved Aunt Leigh. She died before I left childhood; freelance photographer- she's the one who got me _into_ photography. She was coming back from assignment, boarded Pan Am Flight One-oh-Three in London, and if you know anything at all about Pan Am Airlines, that was the flight that exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland due to a bomb in the hold four days before Christmas."

Jo bit her lip, squeezing his hand as he returned it to her belly. "Zane-"

"She was supposed to come to Boston for Christmas, but she never showed. News of the bodies was... it was slow; Mom got the call on Christmas Day, as we were sitting down to breakfast, that they'd found one of Aunt Leigh's business cards tucked into her jacket pocket and that's how they were able to identify her. I just remember Mom screaming and dropping the phone as she collapsed. When I asked her about it years later, she said she _knew_ something had gone wrong; she _knew_ something had happened in London and that it had to do with Leigh, and that it was _bad_. That she'd woken up the night of the explosion to her sister sitting on the end of her bed, staring at her, and half of her face was gone, her clothes were bloody and shredded and covered in soot and she didn't say a word, just reached into the pocket of her jacket and pulled out a business card, and when Mom went to reach for it, the card and my aunt disintegrated." He sighed. "I decided, that if I ever had a child, I would name her Annaleigh, for my aunt."

"It's beautiful."

"It's fitting." He replied with a chuckle. "Our Anna, she's... she's _exactly_ like Aunt Leigh in so many ways. She came out so fast, she was so impatient to be out in the world... I knew it was the perfect name for her." He smiled softly at her, gently rubbing her belly. "I was thinking, if we- somehow- manage to have a boy this time, maybe going with James, for your father?"

Her eyes misted over and she nodded, reaching down to cover his hand, even as the baby kicked and shifted as Zane's touch. "I think Papa'd like that."


	16. Chapter 16

_Sixteen Weeks_

"I want another sister!"

"I _don't_. One little sister is enough! Besides, you're already a pain; having two of you would make me tear my hair out."

"I wouldn't mind a brother. That way Daddy wouldn't be alone in the house."

"That's sweet, Catie, but I'm perfectly content being the only man in our house. Besides, it's-"

"It's up to Daddy anyway, whether I have a boy or a girl growing in my tummy. Daddy's DNA determines the baby's sex."

"So, Daddy's DNA decided we would be girls?"

"That's right, Elie-bean. It was Daddy's DNA that made sure you were girls."

"Oh. What do you want, Daddy?"

"Healthy. I want a healthy baby inside Mommy; boy, girl, doesn't matter, as long as they're healthy. _That's_ what matters- they're healthy. Healthy and strong, like each of you were when you were growing inside Mommy; nothing more, nothing less."

Allison chuckled, as the doors to the infirmary slid shut behind the young family. "Auntie Allie!" She quickly caught the youngest Donovan daughter, settling Ela on her hip. "Mommy says Daddy's the reason we're girls, and that the baby could be a girl." Allison raised an eyebrow, glancing at her friends. "And that he'd be perfectly happy being the only man in the house." The child leaned close, but her whisper was loud enough for everyone to hear. "I think Daddy just likes having girls."

Zane rolled his eyes as Allison chuckled and set her youngest niece down. Jo sighed, hands on her belly; the tank top and zip up sweater she wore highlighted her protruding belly; she looked about to enter her final trimester, not being in the start of her second. _Yes, subsequent pregnancies certainly do show faster than the first. God help Zane if she ends up pregnant with another one at some point; if Jo thought she showed fast with her fourth, she'd be in for a surprise with her fifth or even her sixth._

She knew that both Jo and Zane wanted a large family- it had been one of the things they'd discussed after getting pregnant with Cate. Jo had grown up with three brothers, she was used to being in a full house, and Zane had two siblings of his own- Claudia and Joshua; when his father had walked out on them, he'd taken Joshua with him, deciding that the oldest boy was his. Joshua had ended up in the foster care system after his father had been turned into social services, and after aging out at eighteen, he'd gone in search of his mother, younger brother and little sister. He'd found Zane, and after a shaky reunion, the brothers had reconnected, keeping tabs on each other regularly. And then both had ended up in Eureka.

Over the years, Joshua had become not just a valued member of Eureka's community, but of Zane and Jo's family, and even Tess and Ricco's family. He adored his nieces, and after Anna had been born, he and Zane had gone in search of Claudia, who'd ended up in a mental ward. By the time they'd found her, she had been an agent at Warehouse Thirteen for years and was thrilled to finally have her brothers back- and even more thrilled to discover she had a sister-in-law and, at the time, two nieces to spoil rotten. She adored Jo and the two women were exceptionally close; throw Jo's sister-in-law, Tessie Fontana, into the mix, and the three women were as chaotic as Jo's daughters. But they were happy, and that was all that mattered.

"Shall we see how Mama and baby are doing?"

After a quick overview of everything, Allison gently lifted Jo's shirt; despite the wealth of technology at GD, there were some things that were just better the old fashioned way- and for Allison, being able to do a cursory exam of Jo's belly simply by touch was one of them. She measured the fundal height, and checked Jo's blood pressure, examined her cervix and checked the baby's position, before having her sit back. She quickly ran the tests to check for Down syndrome, trisomy eighteen and spina bifida and all came back clear. Taking the iron-like sonogram device, she gently laid it over her best friend's clothed belly, turning to the ultrasound screen. A moment passed, before an image appeared on the screen and the girls gathered close.

"Is that the baby?" Ela asked excitedly, and Allison nodded.

"Yep, that's the baby." Jo glanced at Zane before turning back to drink in the sight of their baby on the sonogram. "There's the head, and if you look close you can see the heart beat and the spine," Zane took Jo's hand, squeezing gently.

"No matter how many, this is always the most amazing part as far as I'm concerned; seeing the ultrasounds. It reminds me that this is really happening and our family is really growing."

"You doubt that it is?"

He shrugged at her question. "Sometimes. Life gets so crazy, especially in this town, that there are days when I even forget I've got daughters." He reached out, gently caressing the side of her belly. "Or another baby on the way."

Allison and the girls watched on the sonogram as the baby stretched and shifted in response to Zane's voice and touch, and the girls turned back to their parents. Jo chuckled. "The baby's very responsive to Zane."

"Some babies are like that- they're more responsive to one parent than the other; nothing wrong with it, just is what it is." She turned back to ultrasound, and the adults watched as Ela cocked her head to the side, as the baby stretched and shifted, as though it knew its sisters were watching.

"What's that?" The eight-year-old asked, and after a moment, Allison choked on a laugh. Anna's blue gaze narrowed and the good doctor could see the wheels turning in the ten-year-old's head, and Cate opened her mouth to speak, before Allison replied,

" _That_ , Elie-bean," She glanced at the girls' parents, trying to figure out the best way to tell them; a smirk tugged at her lips, knowing she was about to dash Zane's contented dream. "means your daddy is _not_ going to be the _only_ man in Forty-Twenty Coriolis Loop. In about five months, there's going to be another."

It took all she had to keep from bursting out in laughter as the shock slowly hit and Zane's mouth dropped. "I... we... you... you mean we... there's a... there's... we're... we're having... we're having a... a..."

 _"It's a boy!"_ Anna cried excitedly. Cate let out a squeal, slapping her hands over her mouth as Anna bounced on the balls of her feet, excitedly clapping her hands. _"Mommy's having a boy!"_

 _"I wanted a sister!"_ Ela cried, and Allison laughed. It still amazed her at how different the girls' personalities were, despite their carbon copy, identical-twin-like looks. Jo couldn't take her eyes off the sonogram, as she watched her baby- _her son_ \- shift and move on the screen.

A son.

She was having a _son_.

_"Who'd want to make a second son?"_

She shook her head, the words scattering as she glanced at Zane, who still hadn't picked his jaw up off the floor, and after a moment, she reached up, brushing her fingers against his cheek. "Zane? Honey? You okay?" He snapped out of his shock, meeting her gaze for the briefest of moments, before getting up and leaning over, pressing his mouth to hers. "What was that for?"

He studied her momentarily, reaching up to brush a strand of hair from her forehead. "You are going to be the most _amazing mother_ to our little boy, Jojo."


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So Jo and Zane *are* having a little boy...

"Alexander."

"No! I _like_ being the only A!"

 _"Oh,_ A _nnaleigh."_

"Okay, Jackson." Jo wrinkled her nose. "Come on, Phina, what's wrong with Jackson?"

"Nothing! Nothing's wrong with it, I just... don't care for it. And neither does Zane."

"You do know you don't have to decide on a name now, right? You have five months before the baby is born; that gives you plenty of time to narrow down names."

Ever since finding out that there was going to be another male added to the Donovan clan, Jo and Zane had expanded their list of boy names; they'd set the list of girl names aside, just in case some day they decided to have another. Two days after discovering a boy grew in Jo's belly, she found herself sitting across from her sisters-in-law in the living room of the house on Coriolis Loop. Claudia had come down to visit, and been thrilled upon discovering she would have a little nephew to spoil, and Tessie had come over, bringing Michaela. The year-and-a-half-old little girl had Tessie's features but Ricco's dark hair and eyes.

"I know one name that's not going to be used: Michael."

"Why?" Jo raised an eyebrow as the little girl toddled over to her aunt, who lounged back against the pillows on the sofa, hands on her belly.

"Michaela." She sat up and lifted the little girl into her lap. "No. Not Michael. And Nicholas is too formal a name." They lapsed into silence for several minutes; the girls were at the park with friends, and Zane was at work; Henry had given Jo the day off to rest, knowing she needed it, and she was able to monitor everything from her computer at home. "I know one name we might use." The others shared glances. "James, for Papa."

"Oh, Phina." Tessie reached out, taking her sister-in-law's hand and squeezing. "Papa would be honored."

"That's what I told Zane when he suggested it."

The afternoon was spent working on the baby's book and folding the baby clothes Allison had given Jo- _"to get you started, so you have a few things for that little boy, but don't worry, you'll get more at your shower, but these will get you started."_ \- and Jo was touched that the older woman had thought to give her some of Kevin's old baby clothes, especially since the majority of the baby clothes she and Zane had were for girls.

 _"It's always best to share baby clothes between mothers, Josephina, remember that, so when you have a baby, and that baby's out grown his clothes, and a friend is having a baby of the same sex, you can give her a few of the pieces to get her started, because baby clothes are expensive."_ Her mother's words faded, and she shook her head. After a moment, she stood, going into the kitchen and fixing a cup of tea.

"How're you feeling?" She turned as Tessie came into the kitchen, stopping beside her. She shrugged.

"Okay. My energy levels are great, and not having morning sickness anymore is... phenomenal, though having to switch to maternity clothes by week ten was horrendous, and I'm pretty sure Zane is over my increased desire for sex, considering we've done it so many times in the last two weeks that I've lost count-"

Tessie chuckled softly. "I don't mean the pregnancy, Phina, though, those are good things. I meant, how's you're brain doing? Still a blank?"

"In regards to...? Work? No. In regards to... you and Ricci? No. In regards to-"

"In regards to Zane and the girls. Still a blank?" Her sister-in-law's silence told her all she needed to know, and she nodded. "I'll take that as a yes."

"Look, Tessie, it's not like I'm not trying to remember, I am, but it's just... no matter how hard I try-"

"I know. Phina. Phina, it's okay! I know." She reached out, taking the younger woman's hand. "I just... I worry about you. Both Ric and I do. We know it's not easy on you, forgetting twelve years of the live you've spent with Zane, of the girls, all the tears and laughter and pain and happiness, having that all wiped clean- I know if I was in your position and I'd lost every memory I had of Ric, lost every memory of Michaela... every memory of the baby I was carrying... I wouldn't be as strong as you, Phina. You are amazingly strong for dealing with this as you have. Don't ever doubt that." Jo nodded. "And don't ever doubt that Zane and those girls love you, because they do, so, so much. You are their world, just like they're yours."

She pressed a kiss to Jo's head and then returned to the living room. As Jo steeped her tea, she let her thoughts wander. Allison and Grace had been helping Jo in regards to things she didn't understand or remember about her relationship with Zane; they gave her tidbits on when they'd first met, and how Cate's conception had come about- the surprise that had filled both their faces when Allison had confirmed the pregnancy weeks later. She knew she'd have trouble remembering things- not _just_ because of the amnesia, but also because her Pregnancy brain had kicked in a week earlier, which only increased her memory loss. Thankfully, her Pregnancy brain would go away once she reached her third trimester or so, but the same couldn't be said for the amnesia.

"We really don't know that much about it, Jo. You could regain everything in a couple months or you could go two years before you regain something, or, at the other end of the spectrum, you could go the rest of your life and regain nothing of your relationship with Zane; it all depends on your brain and how it heels. I can't tell you much more, but I can give you a couple suggestions."

"Like what?"

"Like... start keeping a journal of things Zane and the girls tell you about your life together- even if you don't think they're important, write them down, they might be useful in recovering memories later. Birthdays, anniversaries, favorite foods, favorite colors, favorite movies, music, books... anything they tell you that you think might help job a memory, write it down, you can sort it all out later." She sighed. "Go back and look at pictures; I know you and Zane have photo albums and pictures; Zane's got a dark room in the shed in the backyard. Go look at the pictures he's taken, ask him to tell you a story related to them, and see if it jogs a memory that way. Talk to the girls; they're children, they'll be able to tell you all sorts of things in regards to your life with Zane. Every little tidbit helps."

As she set the kettle aside, she turned back, grabbing the notebook off the island counter and going back into the living room.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I really don't know why, but I think this is my absolute favorite scene out of the story so far- Jo, giving into her cravings, standing in the kitchen listening to AIDA while she jots down information to help her try and get her memory back... I don't know if it's the scene itself, or if it's the fact that it's so believable, or the fact that it's so relatable, in a way... I mean, pregnancy aside, who *hasn't* stood at the kitchen counter eating ice cream out of the carton?
> 
> And the strange concoction Jo makes from sweet potatoes, avocados, Greek yogurt and dried fruit? I did the same thing as Jo- mixed it all together just to try it, and got the same reaction from my third daughter during my second pregnancy.

_Caterina Elisabeth- born October 14th, 2008, at home_

_Annaleigh Isabella - born July 18th, 2010, at home_

_Eleanora Rosalie- born April 15th, 2012, at the cabin_

_Baby boy- due in December, 2020_

She set the pen down with a sigh, turning her attention to the desk.

This was the sixth notebook she'd filled since it had been discovered that she'd lost her memory, each with bits of information and stories about her life with Zane and the girls. Though she still couldn't shake the nagging feeling that she didn't belong in this timeline, that she didn't love Zane, she knew it wasn't true; she loved Zane deeply, dearly. She'd had his babies, for God's sake, and was carrying his fourth! Of course she loved him, how could she not?

But there was still that tiny, nagging voice in the back of her brain-

She sighed, reaching up and rubbing the back of her neck before pushing the chair to Zane's desk back and standing, grabbing a new notebook and pen. She shuffled into the kitchen, going to the freezer. _"Can I get you anything specific, Jo?"_ Her gaze moved up; she kept forgetting that there was an AI in their house; damned pregnancy brain. _"Perhaps some peppermint tea or perhaps some fresh fruit? Vincent sent over some nectarines for you. Or, if you want, I can fix you a salad-"_

"Ah... no thank, AIDA." She tugged open the freezer door. "Hey, AIDA? Do we have any ice cream?"

 _"Of course we do, Jo. I've made sure to have ample amounts of ice cream on hand, especially when you're pregnant, because I know you crave it so."_ A moment passed, before Jo flipped open the journal to the first page, and quickly jotted down,

_Ice cream = Pregnancy craving_

She then set the pen down and turned back to the freezer, studying the cartons. "AIDA?"

_"Yes, Jo?"_

She bit her lip. She wasn't even sure this was the right flavor, because she couldn't remember, but she figured she'd give it a try. "Do we have... raspberry and vanilla?"

 _"Of course we do, Jo."_ The Security Director raised an eyebrow. _"After your first pregnancy, I made sure to keep ample stocks of raspberry and vanilla ice cream for when you became pregnant the next time."_

"Good thing, since Annaleigh followed two years later." Jo muttered, and the house whirred softly; AIDA's version of a sigh.

 _"It was not much of a shock when the test came back positive for you; your eating habits had been changing not long before that, and your HGC levels had increased. I knew right away that you were pregnant again."_ Jo nodded, grabbing the first carton of raspberry and vanilla and then a spoon from the drawer. She opened the carton and tugged off the plastic, digging the spoon into the frozen treat and taking a bite. While it didn't make her craving go away completely, it sated it greatly, and after a moment, she took another bite, flipping the journal open again and grabbing the pen, spoon in her mouth as she wrote down bits of AIDA's information. _"Anna's birth was quite the surprise for both you and Zane, though."_

She dug the spoon into the ice cream and took another bite, picking up the pen and continuing to write. "Mhm."

_"Your labor progressed quickly- most likely because it was your second, and subsequent labors tend to be shorter."_

Jo returned the spoon to the carton. _Tell that to Eleanora, AIDA._

 _"By roughly three am, the baby had not only crowned but was most of the way out, and you were solely focused on delivering her. Your choice of method to deliver Annaleigh- sitting up in bed pulling your legs back- was a good choice, as it not only had the benefit of gravity, but you had the added benefit of being able to spread your legs and allow for her to pass through your birth canal."_ AIDA paused, and Jo stopped writing. _"Though I suppose any form of squatting or sitting would be more beneficial to the birthing mother than lying on her back would be. I can find some books or videos on the benefits of squatting or sitting during childbirth if you would like them, Jo."_

She removed the spoon from her mouth. "No thank you, AIDA." She then stuck it back into the ice cream and dug out another bite. She glanced at the spoon, noting the size of the bite and briefly considered halving it, before deciding against it; it would just melt in her mouth anyway. She took the bite and set the spoon back in the carton before rubbing her hands together. "I know shac'ly how 'm gonna birth thish baby," She swallowed part of the bite. "when the time comes," She swallowed the last of it. "for him to be born."

_"I think it is so exciting you and Zane are having a boy, Jo. Is Zane excited?"_

"'bout 'aving to give up his," She swallowed, before taking another bite. "s'a'us as the only male in this house?" She swallowed, before turning to the fridge and opening the door, searching for something. "You'll have to ask him. If the look of shock on my husband's face when we found out yesterday was anything to go by, the jury's still out." She smiled softly. "Ah-ha."

She kicked the fridge door shut and returned to the island, setting her prize on the counter. AIDA had taken Jo's melting carton of ice cream and returned it to the freezer to re-harden for her. The baby kicked in response to the fridge door slamming, and she reached down, stroking her belly. "Mama's sorry, baby boy. It _was_ pretty loud, wasn't it?"

She grabbed a paring knife and began slicing up her sweet potatoes, popping a slice into her mouth like it was a potato chip. She knew that Catie hated sweet potatoes but was allergic to ginger, and Anna had an allergy to peanuts and so couldn't have peanut butter, but loved the chocolate chip cookie butter Vincent made, and Ela had a distaste for avocado, but liked to spread Greek yogurt on her toast. But from what she'd been able to figure, just from trial and error, the baby liked sweet potatoes and avocado, dried fruit and the eight to twelve ounces of salmon she was allowed once a week- something that was difficult, because one of Jo's cravings _was_ salmon, but unlike the rest of the food she ate, she wasn't allowed it as much, due to the mercury.

A moment passed, as she grabbed a bowl and worked on mixing the avocado she'd sliced up with the dried fruit and sweet potato, before throwing in a bit of Greek yogurt. She ran a finger along the inside of the bowl before tasting the strange concoction, catching the drips on her fingers and sucking them off. Cocking her head to the side, she licked her lips, letting the strange mixture of tastes settle on her tongue; it wasn't unlikeable, it just seemed to be an acquired taste.

"Oh!"

She jumped, her hands moving to her belly at the sharp kick.

_"Are you all right, Jo? Shall I call Zane and alert Allison?"_

The Security Director shook her head. "No! No, AIDA, it's okay. Nothing's wrong, I just..." She grabbed the spoon she'd used for her ice cream and ran it along the side of the bowl, taking another bite. As the strange cacophony of tastes and textures aroused her taste buds, she felt the baby shift again and reached down to caress her belly. She took another bite, feeling another firm kick. "You like that, baby boy?" Another kick, following a slightly bigger bite, and she smiled, continuing to gently rub her hand back and forth over her growing bump. "Good, at least Mommy's not the only one that likes that." She lifted her head. "Hey, AIDA? Can you make that one of my preferences, please?"

_"Certainly, Jo. Would you like me to make you a batch or two so you have it?"_

She smiled softly, absentmindedly continuing to rub her belly. "I'd love that." Fixing a cup of tea, she grabbed her bowl and her cup and journal and moved to take a seat on the sofa, stretching out and putting her feet up with a sigh as the TV turned on. Zane had gone to the store and taken the girls with him, giving Jo some time to herself while they got groceries. A soft sigh escaped her throat, and after a moment, she took another bite from her bowl as AIDA turned _The One Hundred_ on.

_"I think we may finally discover who caused the nuclear apocalypse, today, Jo."_

The Security Director froze, spoon dangling from her mouth. Why did those words sound so _familiar_?

_"The One Hundred's on, baby. Come sit."_

_"I think we may finally discover who caused the nuclear apocalypse."_

_"Jo? Jo, are you all right?"_ She was jarred from the memory and quickly removed the spoon from her mouth, returning it to the bowl and setting it on the table, nervously wiping her hands on her jeans. _"Your pulse is up, and you seem-"_

 _"Fine!_ I'm fine, AIDA! I just..." She stopped, reaching up to wipe the tears that raced down her cheeks. "I just remembered something." She quickly grabbed the notebook and flipped to the back, jotting it down before tossing it and the pen on the table. She didn't know what it meant, or why it was important, but it rattled her. To calm her nerves, she sipped her tea and then grabbed her bowl, focusing on the episode and the kicks she received because of the strange concoction she'd put together.

After the program ended, she let AIDA channel surf, and sat back, tugging her tank top up to expose her rounding belly. _As of tomorrow, you'll be seventeen weeks and then a week after that, you'll be going into month five..._ She rubbed gently but firmly against her bump, taking another bite, and chuckled softly at the baby's response. "I really _shouldn't_ be surprised you like strange things; you're _barely_ five months in my womb, and you're _already_ developing tastes like your daddy. I will _never_ understand how anyone can _possibly_ like toasted peanut butter and bacon."

_"Treats. I brought your favorite foods- all your favorite foods. Olives stuffed with blu cheese. Toasted peanut butter and bacon. Hm. Egg salad, and rocky road ice cream."_

_"I love you, Jo."_

_"I love you, too."_

She set the bowl and spoon on the table, and got up, dashing for the stairs. _"Jo? Is everything all right?"_ The door to their bathroom slammed and she yanked the toilet seat up. Allison had told her that morning sickness would occasionally pop up over the course of her pregnancy, but she hadn't taken it seriously. Apparently the good doctor was right. Once finished, she sat back and wiped her mouth, reaching down to cradle her belly. _"Jo? Are you okay?"_

"Fine, AIDA. Just had a little too much of that; I think I'm going to need to watch my intake of that no matter how good it is for both me and the baby." Though small voice in the back of her mind was screaming something else, but she couldn't make out what.


	19. Chapter 19

_Eighteen Weeks_

Five months; she was officially five months pregnant now, but she looked bigger than five months.

She turned to the side, hands moving to rub over the curve of her belly. It was round and smooth, and all in her tummy, as Allison had told her. After a moment, she turned to the bed; in two weeks, Zane would go to the airport to pick up his mother. Theresa Donovan, or Tessa, as she was called, had scheduled to take the week Jo hit twenty weeks off from work, and so was going to come out to Eureka to visit her son and his family, and she would be there for the baby shower. And they had yet to tell her about the baby's sex, but that would soon be remedied-

"Jojo, you ready?"

She sighed, lowering the hem of her sweater. "How do I look?" He made his way towards her, slipping his arms around her and tugging her close, until she rose slightly onto her toes.

"You look beautiful."

"Really?" She glanced down at the dress. "I don't look fat?"

"No, not at all, sweetheart. You look _pregnant_ , which is a good thing because you _are,_ but you don't look fat." He kissed her softly, reaching up to gently tuck a curl behind her ear. "Now come on, we've got daylight to burn and a surprise to film for my mother."

Once outside on the porch, Zane gathered his girls.

"Oh, this is so exciting! Zanie, didn't you do the same thing for each of the girls?" Claudia asked, taking the camera from her brother; though it was only August, leaves were already starting to change and there was a chill in the air that called for hot apple cider and cinnamon cookies. Joshua chuckled softly as he leaned against the porch, watching his little brother kneel down and gently fix the sleeves on Ela's blue sweater. It had started as a way to announce their pregnancy to friends and family- take a few photos at the cabin, regardless of the weather, with baby shoes, chalkboard signs, sonogram photographs- and simply send them out without any explanation. The photographs soon became a hit among the family, that not only did they do them when they announced each pregnancy, but also when they found out the sex.

On one of the shelves in the living room of the house on Coriolis Loop, was a series of photographs; one of Jo and Zane sitting together on the cabin's porch steps, Zane sat behind her, with her settled on the step below, between his legs; one arm wrapped around her waist, his other hand reaching for the bowl of Halloween candy she held in her lap, a sonogram settled inside it; both were dressed in jeans and sweaters thanks to the cold February weather. She had a lollipop in her mouth; a chalkboard sign at her feet with the words, spelled out in orange,

_"It's not a trick, we're expecting a little treat this Halloween."_

Those that had received the announcement had loved it, and five months later, they'd gotten another one- again, Halloween themed, again at the cabin. They sat on the steps, Jo settled back against Zane, holding a plastic tiara and a plastic fairy wand in each hand. She was grinning and glowing, as Zane pressed a kiss to her head, the words on the chalkboard sign now reading,

_"The only hard decision we'll have to make now is between princess and fairy."_

With Anna, their strategy had been a little different- Cate was nearly two, and they'd sat her on the steps by herself, holding the chalkboard sign while her parents stood off to the side, Jo holding a small pumpkin down towards her belly as she leaned her head against Zane.

_"We tried hard to deny it, but it's true. Inside Mommy's tummy is pumpkin number two!"_

And the gender announcement had been just as adorable, if much more simple- the three of them, sitting on the porch steps, Cate between them, holding the chalkboard sign,

_"I don't just get to be a BIG sister, I get to have a LITTLE sister, too!"_

The announcement of Ela's pregnancy had been simply Jo, sitting on the porch steps, facing the camera, holding a sonogram in front of her, finger against her lips and the sign at her feet.

_"Shh! Don't tell Zane, but I'm carrying baby number three!"_

And while the pregnancy announcement had been simple, the gender reveal announcement had been anything but. There was no longer a need to just sit on the steps of the cabin's porch and look stunning together- though they were stunning, not just as a couple, but as a family. So they'd taken Cate and Anna and sat them on one side of the steps, the sign at their feet, with Jo standing behind them, holding a tiny pair of ballet slippers over her protruding belly, the skirt of her dress rising slightly. Both girls were smiling and excited, and then there was Zane, leaning against the column railing opposite Jo, arms crossed over his chest, exasperated, and it was easy to understand why once they read the sign.

_"Poor Daddy's outnumbered even more! He's the only boy in the house, and as for girls- there's going to be FOUR!"_

As for this pregnancy- eight years after Ela's announcement and birth, the announcement had been fairly simple, once again. All three girls sat on the steps in birth order, with the sign at their feet, and their parents behind them; Jo had been tucked in Zane's arms, a _Baby's First Christmas_ ornament dangling from his fingers. The sign had brought a touch of sweetness to the announcement,

_"Birthday wishes coming true this Christmas!"_

Now though, they could play around with it, have fun with it, because now they knew the sex and that alone would be a complete surprise to everyone else. Jo stepped out onto the porch, to watch her daughters; they sat giggling on the steps, trying to figure out what to write on the chalkboard. Zane was capturing the very candid images, and after a moment, Jo went to them. She leaned over, them, studying the words written before,

"Hey Zane?"

He lowered the camera. "Yeah, Jojo?"

She straightened. "We can have fun with this one, right?" He glanced at his siblings, before shrugging with a nod.

"I don't see why not. I mean, they've each been fun in their own way, but sure." He let the camera dangle around his neck and joined them. "What're you thinking, Jojo?" She glanced at each of the girls, before looking down at her belly and resting her hands on it and then meeting his gaze again. They tossed around ideas as Zane snapped photos; just because they weren't entirely sure what to do for the gender reveal didn't mean he was going to waste the daylight or the sight of his four girls all in dresses- a very rare thing for not just Jo but her daughters, all looking beautiful, the girls clearly miniature carbon copies of their mother.

Jo wasn't the type of woman to wear tight, form-fitting clothing; if Zane were honest, even the pantsuits his wife wore were slightly shapeless- and so he would never see her in a tight, form-fitting maxi dress, especially not while pregnant. And even though she wasn't, if she wanted to, she could hide her bump, with loose clothing- not that she was doing that or ever would. She was self-conscious about her body, especially in dresses, _especially_ when pregnant. Plus, neither she nor Zane saw any value in doing the huge, fancy photoshoots, especially for something as intimate as this.

Unlike a lot of women who wore the fancy, body-hugging gowns or the boho style dresses for their maternity shoots, Jo's clothing choices were simple; a pair of maternity jeans paired with a tunic or a sweater, boots or ballet flats, a simple dress, with hair either pulled back or down. And this one was no exception. Though unlike her last gender reveal photo, when she'd worn a forest green dress the day they revealed they were having Ela, this time, Jo had chosen a simple pair of jeans and a cherry red, cable-knit sweater that clung to her body and accented her growing bump, with a pair of black ballet flats. Her hair- long and thick and glossy, partially thanks to pregnancy- was down around her shoulders, one side pinned back with a clip decorated with sprig of holly and berries.

At one point, Jo took a seat on the steps, and the girls settled around her; she wrapped her arm around Anna, who curled close and gently rested her head on her mother's breast, as Cate wrapped her arms around her mother's neck and rested her head on Jo's shoulder, and Ela settled against Jo's bicep; her other hand having come down to cradle the bottom of her belly. It wasn't a staged shot at all; Jo was just taking a moment to relax, and the girls were joining her, protective as they'd gotten to be over the last few weeks, but Zane couldn't resist. He snapped several shots, including one of Jo pressing a kiss to Anna's head.

"They're beautiful, Zanie." He looked up from scrolling through the pictures he'd taken to see Claudia making her way towards him to look over his shoulder; Joshua soon joined them, and the three siblings silently scrolled through the few active. "You have a real talent; you could have been a photographer-"

"Maybe, but I still prefer physics."

Anna let out a squeak and sat up, pulling away, causing all thee to turn back to the girl. "The baby kicked me!"

Jo chuckled softly, reaching up to cradle her daughter's chin in her hand. "Babies kick, Anna. You did." She pecked her daughter gently on the lips, not hearing the camera snap, and pulled away, reaching down to stroke her belly for a moment longer before she turned to Cate. She said something to the oldest girl, who nodded eagerly and got up, grabbing the chalk and moving to sit in front of her mother where the board rested. The camera still snapping, they watched as Jo directed Cate on what to write; once done, she leaned close, whispering softly to the twelve-year-old. Cate nodded, and got up, handing the board to her mother before going to Zane and grabbing his hands.

"Come on, Daddy!"

"What's going on?" Claudia and Joshua shrugged, taking the camera as Zane came up the steps; Jo had stood, moving back onto the porch. "Jo? What're you doing?"

She smiled softly, holding up the sign; he read it, and chuckled, leaning down the kiss her sweetly. She then handed the sign to the girls, who gathered on the porch steps with the sign at their feet, as Zane tugged Jo close, so that his arms were around her from behind. It was a very easy pose, and they swayed gently together, his hands resting on her belly; the baby shifted and moved at his father's touch, and Jo giggled, reaching up to caress his cheek he leaned up to meet his gaze, unaware that Joshua had snapped the photograph- several shots of it, actually.

The next morning, all of their immediate family in Eureka received a blank envelope beneath their doors, and Tessa Donovan found a bubble one in her mailbox as well. Fixing her morning coffee, she opened the envelope, pulling out an envelope with Zane's familiar scrawl on it, _'Mom'_. Taking a sip of her coffee, she leaned against the counter and carefully opened the envelope, studying the image that slipped out and into her hand. She choked on a soft gasp, rushing to grab the phone; after several long minutes, Zane's sleepy voice greeted her.

"Oh, Zane, my baby. Is it really true? Jo really has a little boy growing in her belly?" She couldn't hide the smile on her face as Zane explained everything. "Oh, Zane, honey, that's wonderful! Jo must be so thrilled! I know how badly she's wanted a little boy!"

She returned to the counter, picking up the glossy announcement, tears of joy trailing down her cheeks. She knew how much Jo had wanted a little boy- not that the girls weren't good enough, but Jo had always wanted to add a boy to the mix- for she seemed to have the _opposite_ problem to her mother. The photo was beautiful and simple, and conveyed so much with so few words.

All three of the girls were in blue sweater dresses with black leggings and black ballet flats, similar to their mother, and Zane wore a pair of black jeans and a similar blue sweater- they'd been playing around with the idea of having Jo be the solitary standout in the photo- a common thing in each of the photos.

_"Daddy wanted a houseful of girls,_

_Mommy wanted a houseful of boys._

_Daddy won with one thru three,_

_and then Catie made a wish on her birthday._

_Mommy and Daddy said, "Wait and see."_

_Well, guess what came true!_

_Figured it out yet?_

_Here's a preview:_

_Everyone but Mommy is wearing blue."_


	20. Chapter 20

"Oh, Jo, congratulations! I bet you and Zane are just thrilled! I know you've wanted a boy for so long-"

She plastered a smile onto her face, nodding every once and a while as she listened to Vincent go on and on about her pregnancy, making a mental note to write everything down.

"Okay, Vincent, that's enough. Give her some space and stop hogging Eureka's Mommy-to-be, some of us haven't seen her for six months and want to catch up." Jo turned, and for the briefest of moments, she didn't recognize the young woman standing beside her. She let her gaze roam over her for the briefest of moments, before lighting on the familiar blue eyes-

"Zoe."

The younger woman laughed, throwing her arms around her surrogate sister in a hug- not quite as bone-crushing as she wanted to- before pulling away. She heard the others join them as Zoe reached down to cradle Jo's belly with a soft whimper of excitement. "Oh, Jo." Without a word, Jo reached down and covered Zoe's hand with hers, giving her a soft smile.

As they settled around the fireplace, she asked,

"Where have you been?"

The blonde sighed; how did she even begin to explain the goings-on in the world outside of their little scientific bubble? Was it even worth telling her family about the disease she'd seen spreading through rural China, that stole the breath from people's lungs and made them suffer? She watched Zane drape an arm around Jo's shoulders, saw how he nudged his nose against hers, before whispering something to her and pecking her softly. His other hand came down to rest over her belly, and she reached down to cover his, squeezing gently. The girls were sitting beside their parents, looking at the pictures Zoe had brought back from the places she'd been. She sipped her coffee; she'd just gotten out of a two week quarantine, relieved that her test had come back negative, and drove down from Portland immediately, not wanting to waste another minute away from her family. With her contract with Doctors Without Borders up for the year, she decided that she needed some time in her hometown, with the people she loved. Especially since Jo's baby shower was in two weeks, and then the baby would arrive in December, and she wanted to be there for the birth.

 _They're all so happy; they have so much to look forward to. And if I tell them of what happened in China, it would just worry them, and they don't need the worry and stress- especially not Jo. She's in a delicate position right now; I can't put that stress on her. She needs to stay healthy and as stress-free as possible for the baby's sake; she only has four months left, and I won't be responsible for sending her into early labor._ She smiled quickly. "China. I was in the rural areas working with Doctors without Borders. I know I'm Obstetrics and midwifery, but a lot of the women in the exceedingly rural areas of China have very limited access to healthcare and good midwives during pregnancy. So I was there with DWB as a midwife. Plus, it gave me good practice for the little one coming in December."

"Sorry?" Jo furrowed a brow as she sipped the blonde roast Allison allowed her have once a day.

"Your little boy." Zoe replied.

She set her cup down, automatically reaching down to cover her belly. "What about him?"

"I'm delivering him."

Allison's soft chuckle interrupted anything the Security Director might have said. "Oh, no you're not, Zoe."

"And why not, Allison?"

The older woman sipped her tea. "Because I'm delivering that little boy. This is the _fourth_ child she's had, and I haven't gotten to deliver a single one," She turned to glare at the couple, though it was more directed at Zane, because she knew Jo didn't remember and it wasn't Jo's fault anyway, she had no control over her body when in the grips of labor, but Zane had been more than capable of giving her a call and letting her know Jo's labor had started. "because somebody 'forgot' to call me."

Zane lowered his gaze, a blush darkening his cheeks; the others chuckled. "Look, Allison, I'm sorry, but Anna came way too fast-"

"And Cate took longer. Don't you dare say you didn't call me because it was during a storm, Zane Donovan. You know _full well_ I would have been there immediately if you'd just given me a call- even just say, 'Allison, we can't make it into the infirmary, can you come to the house so you can be here to help Jo deliver the baby?' It's not _that_ hard, Zane. It's called picking up a phone. And Ela-"

"Okay, okay, I admit, Ela was my mistake. You told me to call you if she went into labor, and I was going to, but we didn't even realize she'd been in labor all day-"

Jo covered her mouth to hide her laughter, letting out a squeak as the baby kicked her hard in response to Zane's raised voice. She reached over, grabbing his wrist and squeezing firmly. "Zane, honey, drop an octave or two, baby doesn't like it."

"He's a daddy's boy?" Zoe asked as Allison continued to chastise Zane; Jo slipped out from under his arm and shifted away slightly as Zoe got up, nudging the girls to scoot over so she could sit by Jo. Once settled, she reached out, taking Jo's hand and squeezing.

"He's absolutely Zane's boy and he's not even finished growing yet." Jo replied with a chuckle. "Loves the sound of his voice, responds more to Zane than me-"

"He's growing inside you, Jo. He hears your voice all the time; he doesn't hear his daddy's voice as much as he hears yours." She reached out, resting her hands on Jo's belly. "Are you excited to finally have a little boy? I know how much you've wanted one."

The Security Director bit her lip. "I'm nervous. I've never taken care of a baby before, let alone given to one." Zoe opened her mouth to contradict, when everyone else turned to her. Zane cleared his throat and Allison gave the most minute of nods. Zoe nodded slowly; her parents had told her about what had happened with Jo, how the accident had stolen any memory she had of Zane and the girls. After a moment, she glanced at the table, reaching for the journal Jo had brought with her.

"You're journaling?"

"Keeping notes on what I don't remember, so that maybe it'll help jog my memory and I'll get it all back." She admitted as Zoe opened the book after Jo nodded in allowance. "It's hard, you know," She released a breath, sniffling as she looked down at her belly, reaching up to rub it gently. "Everyone else has all these memories of Zane and the girls and I... Zane has memories of our life together, of the girls... and they'll say something or do something that I'm supposed to know or remember, and I just don't... I feel like I'm constantly having to play catch up, so Tessie suggested I started keeping a journal-"

"It's not very full-"

"That's journal number nine." Jo replied and Zoe's blue gaze widened in surprise. "I don't feel like I belong here because I can't remember." Zane pulled her close, tilting her chin to face him. He whispered something softly to her, and she nodded, accepting the kiss, before he brushed a kiss to her forehead. Zoe turned back to the journal.

"Can I add something, Jo?" A moment passed before the older woman nodded. Grabbing the pen, Zoe uncapped it and quickly jotted something down. She thought a moment, before, "You know, in the animal world, the male of the species is generally useless at childrearing. No talent for it whatsoever."

She had said it specifically to get a rise out of Zane, but it took a moment for him to get the implied joke, but everyone else got it immediately. "Hey! I'd say I'm doing pretty well, thank you very much." Jo chuckled, reaching up to gently pat his cheek, with a muttered, "Oh, poor baby," that just made everyone else laugh, before kissing him sweetly.

"Sure, Zane, whatever you say." She finished what she'd been writing, and then handed the journal to Jo. A moment passed, as she read it silently to herself; Zane read it over her shoulder, and Jo sniffled, reaching up to swipe at the tears that gathered and trialed down her cheeks; d _amned hormones._

"That's sweet, Zoe."

"What's it say, Daddy?" Anna asked. Zane glanced at Jo and she nodded, continuing to wipe the tears off her cheeks as he slid an arm around her waist and pulled her close, hand splaying over her belly as he began to read out loud.

 _"'You are smart. You are capable. You have a heart of gold and a soul to match. You care too much about others and not enough about yourself, but that gives the rest of us the opportunity to give you the care you so willingly show to us. You're a smart businesswoman, a rich businesswoman, a brilliant doctor of psychology, an Army veteran, who is the bravest of us all. You love with all your heart and live with your soul. You have perhaps the most brilliant mind of anyone I know- and I know hundreds of smart people.'"_ Soft laughter rippled through their group.

 _"'You take your job as Director of Security seriously and truly care about the eggheads you protect at GD, you're my stepmom's best friend, my dad's closest friend, my surrogate sister, the godmother of my stepsister, the partner to my surrogate brother, and the mommy of three of the most beautiful girls in Eureka. And you're about to have a little boy to add to the mix. Your caring heart and sweet nature are qualities your girls will inherit, and the baby you're carrying is the luckiest little boy in the entire world. Zane is so lucky to have you as his partner, as the mommy of his girls and his baby boy, just like we're all lucky to have you in our lives. Whether you regain your memory or never do, remember this, Jo, you are loved. By Zane, and your girls, and your baby boy who isn't even born yet. You're loved by my mom and dad, my stepsiblings, by Henry and Grace and every other member of Eureka. When I think of Eureka, I think of you. You're a central part of this community, and we will always be there to catch you when you fall. Even if twenty days or twenty years pass and you never regain your memory; even if you forget your own name, we will be there to catch you and help you through it.'"_ She glanced Zoe, who reached out and took her hand.

 _"'We love you, Jo, as fiercely as you love us, and if you wake up one morning with memories of not just Zane and the girls, but of us and Eureka gone, come to us. And all of us, we will tell you this- 'You're name Josephina Lupo, but we call you Jo. You're Zane Donovan's partner and you have three beautiful little girls- Caterina, Annaleigh, and Eleanora and a baby boy on the way. You work at Global Dynamics as the Director of Security, and you have a PhD in Psychology and Neuropsychology, a degree in business, and you're an Army veteran. You're the COO of a multimillion dollar tech company in Vancouver, everyone you meet is changed for the better. You are Eureka's legacy as much as anyone else in the town is, if not more, because you embody what this town stands for- innovation, integrity, honor; I, however, would add one more to that list. Love. You embody love as well- love for your family and love for Eureka and her people. So if you wake up one morning with no memory of who you are or where you are, read this, and it will remind you that you are in a town you love, surrounded by the people who love you.'"_ Zane set it aside, glancing at Zoe. "That was beautiful, Zoe."

Jo nodded, throwing her arms around the younger woman. "Thank you." Zoe kissed her head.

"Welcome, Jo." When the women finally broke apart, Jo reached up and fiercely wiped the tears away.

"Damned _hormones_."

Zoe chuckled, taking Jo's hand and resting her forehead against the older woman's. "Four months, Jo. You just have four months left."

She nodded, sniffling. "Four months."


	21. Chapter 21

"Mommy?"

Jo looked up from where she was stretched out on the sofa in the living room, reading a book. She quickly marked her page and set it aside, sitting up. "Come here, baby girl." Anna climbed up onto the sofa beside her mother as Jo shifted to sit up. Of all three of the girls, Jo found herself drawn more and more to Annaleigh; the quiet, bookish ten-year-old reminded Jo of herself- when she wasn't chasing after her brothers or getting into trouble, she was curled up with a book, escaping into distant lands for hours upon end. The girl curled into her mother's side, snuggling close, resting her head against her mother's breast; silence settled between the two for a while, before the girl asked,

"You won't forget me, will you? When the baby comes?"

"Where did you get an idea like that, Annie?"

The girl snuggled closer. "Catie said that middle kids are forgotten when a new baby comes, because the new baby is more important than them or anyone else."

She sighed. _I guess Zane and I are going to have to have a talk with our oldest about making things up._ "I think Catie was just trying to scare you, pup."

Anna pulled away to look up at her. "Uh-huh. Catie said it's true. She said you and Daddy forgot about me after Elie was born, but I wasn't old enough to remember. And that Daddy was forgotten when Auntie Claudi was born, and if Daddy was forgotten after Auntie Claudi was born, then it _has_ to be true."

Jo gave an exasperated sigh, wrapping her arms around her second oldest. "Annie, the older child is always kind of forgotten after the new baby is born, because the new baby needs all of the mommy's and daddy's attention." She reached up to brush a strand of hair off the girl's forehead. "Do you remember when Elie was born?" Anna nodded. "Do you remember how small she was, and how she cried all the time?" Another nod. "Daddy and I had to focus on her because she couldn't do anything for herself. When babies are first born, they're helpless. They're not like big girls and boys, they need the mommies and daddies to take care of them until they can grow up enough _to_ take care of themselves."

She sighed; thank God Zane and AIDA had filled her in everything that had happened after each of the girls had been born- it had filled another notebook, and she'd had to buy more. "After the baby's born, if we forget you and Elie or even Catie, you let Daddy and I _know_ and we will _make_ time to spend with you. And we will spend as much time as we can with you, okay? You're one of our daughters, and we love you, so much. And if we forget to spend time with you- and we will, because a new baby takes up a lot of time, let us know. Okay? And if we have to take turns spending time with you, we will, but you need to let us know, all right? Deal?" The girl nodded as Jo gently tapped her on the nose.

The child wrapped her arms around her mother, snuggling close. "I love you, Mommy."

Jo squeezed her daughter gently. "I love you, pup."

Silence settled around them, and after a moment, Anna looked up at her mother. "Mommy?"

"Hmm?"

"Can I feel your tummy?" Jo chuckled softly, and gently the light pink maternity top she wore up, tucking it beneath her breasts. "Where's the baby?"

A moment passed, as Jo gently ran her hand over her belly. "Here." She took Anna's hand, resting it against the top of her lower right side of her belly. "Feel that?" She pressed Anna's hand gently, and the girl nodded. "That's his head." Then, she took the girl's hand and slid it diagonally up her belly, towards the left side, right beneath her ribs and pressed down gently. The baby kicked in response and Jo winced. "And that's-"

"His feet?"

Her mother nodded. "So he's laying diagonal in my tummy right now. But when it's time for him to be born," She slid her daughter's hand over the swell, moving it down to the underside of her belly. "he'll shift to where his head will be right about here, which means he'll be in the right position and his feet will be at the top, beneath my ribs, so he'll be in the right position to come out."

"Oh." Anna bit her lip, brow furrowing, and Jo was reminded instantly of Zane when he was trying to figure something out. "Mommy?"

"Hmm?"

"Why is he going to be upside down?" Jo chuckled softly.

"Because that's the best position to be in to come out. You were upside down in my tummy too when you came out."

"Really?"

"You were, and so was Catie and so was Elie. It's easier for a baby to come out of a mommy if they're upside down. But you don't need to know anymore about that or worry about that, you just need to worry about loving him." Anna opened her mouth to ask, but stopped. The girl was quiet and contemplative, which, to some of the other children at Tesla, meant she was 'slow' or on the spectrum, which was the furthest thing from the truth. Annaleigh was exceedingly bright- like both her parents and sisters, but she took her time when speaking, because she wanted to make sure she got her ideas right before they left her head, which everyone assumed and attributed as her being on the spectrum.

 _"Annie's got the highest IQ ever recorded at Tesla."_ Zane told her one night as they were getting ready for bed. _"Means the other kids are jealous of her, because-"_

 _"At Tesla, everyone wants the highest IQ, and our daughter has it."_ She finished, and he nodded.

_"Children are horrid, ghastly little creatures towards their own peers-"_

_"Except our daughters, right?"_

_"Right. Because we've raised them better. In a town where your IQ means everything, it's better to have compassion and empathy developed now, because when you get out in the real world,"_

_"The world we lived in before coming to Eureka,"_

_"Mhm. When you get out in the real world, you're going to be measured by your kindness and compassion, not by the height of your IQ, which is what the majority of these kids don't understand. Annie's not slow, not in the slightest. She's brilliant and thoughtful and she takes her time to make sure every thought that comes out of her head is properly articulated. She came into this world impatient as Hell, but she's learned over the last ten years that slowing down and taking the time to be compassionate towards people is infinitely more important that rushing things. And she learned that quick. It took us years to get Catie to understand that-"_

_"And Elie?"_ She asked, climbing into bed. Zane sighed, joining her.

 _"Elie... Catie came into our lives a maelstrom, Annie entered the world as a tornado, and Elie..."_ He sighed. _"Elie came out of you similar to a flood."_ Jo cocked her head. _"She took her time, and but when she did finally come out, it was fast and sudden, like a levee breaking. And that child hasn't slowed down for_ anything _except food since. I swear, that child eats more than her sisters combined."_

_"She's a growing girl."_

He nodded. _"They're all growing girls."_ With a sigh, he reached over, laying a hand over her belly, fingers splaying against the satin of her pajama top and gently rubbing back and forth. The baby shifted and moved, reacting to his father's touch. After a moment, Jo reached down and took his hand. He shifted until her hand lay under his. _"And I can't wait to see how this little boy comes out into the world."_ She smiled softly. _"He'll be chasing to keep up with his sisters from the moment he comes out."_ She rolled her eyes. _"But I do know one thing."_

_"And what's that?"_

_"He's the luckiest little boy in all of Eureka, because he has the three most beautiful big sisters in the world, and they'll love him until the end of time."_

"I do love him, Mommy." Jo was pulled from her musings, she turned back to Anna.

"Sorry, sweetie? Say it again."

"My baby brother. I do love him." She pulled the girl close and hugged her, kissing her head.

"I know you do, sweetie, and he loves you. He loves all three of you, very much."


	22. Chapter 22

_Twenty Weeks_

She sighed, studying herself in the mirror.

Zane was picking Tessa up at the airport, and he'd taken the girls with him, so Jo had the house to herself for the next several hours. Her baby shower was in the late afternoon, and she was nervous, not necessarily because of the shower specifically, but she was afraid someone would say something and she wouldn't remember. But Zane kept reassuring her that she'd be okay; the one consolation was that it was a very intimate little shower among their close friends and family, partially so as not to overwhelm Jo in her current amnesiac state, and partially because Jo just wasn't the big celebration type of person- Henry and Grace would be there, Ricco and Tessie were coming, as well as Carter, Allison, Jenna, Zoe and Kevin, who flew in the week before for the shower; Tessa would be there, as well as Joshua and Claudia and Gwen and Tam, two of the girls from her team, and two of her three childhood best friends; unfortunately, Caitlan Hertz was still active duty, but she sent her love, and her present for the shower had arrived a week ago.

Her gaze moved over her belly as she studied herself. She looked closer to eight and half months than five, which Allison kept reassuring her was normal for a fourth pregnancy- "With each baby, you not only show sooner because you're body's used to it, but you tend to look bigger. It's natural, Jo. I promise."- and because she couldn't remember, she had to take Allison's word for it.

With a sigh, she turned to the clothing she'd laid out for the shower. Jo wasn't a dress type of girl, not even for her baby showers, except now. She would break her dislike of dresses for the simple, burnt orange-colored, knee-length skirt and twist-front dress with the flutter sleeves that Tessa had sent her the for Christmas the year before. When she'd asked Zane about it, he'd told her that his mom had sent it to her, but hadn't realized that she'd picked the wrong size, and so it was a lot bigger than Jo could wear.

 _"Or so she thinks,"_ Zane had said, when she'd pulled the dress out of the closet that morning before he and the girls had left for Portland. _"Maternity dress."_ She'd nodded, holding it against herself.

_"Do you think it'll fit me now?"_

He'd removed the dress from her hands and tossed it on the bed, pulling her close. _"Oh, it'll absolutely fit you now, sweetheart. You look like you're about eight months along. Kidding!"_ He'd hastily replied when she'd shoved him half-heartedly. _"Though you do look like you're in your last trimester, but that's-"_

 _"Normal, I know."_ She'd sighed. _"What am I going to look like when I_ actually _reach my third trimester? The Goodyear blimp?"_

He'd struggled to suppress a snort, and she'd shoved him again. _"You're going to look absolutely beautiful, Jojo. You know why? Because you're carrying our baby."_ He'd kissed her and then left, wrangling the girls into the car and promising to be back in a couple hours with Tessa.

Now though, she lifted the dress, studying it. It was pretty in its simplicity, like something her mother had probably worn during one of her four pregnancies. She turned towards the mirror, holding it against herself. A pair of black ballet flats with bows on the toes sat waiting for her to slip into them, and after a moment, she pulled the dress on, smoothing it nervously over her belly before stopping. One hand rested at the crest of her belly and the other below, and she felt her breath catch. Though it was still a little big, that actually worked in her favor- she would grow into it in the next four months, or rather, her belly would. As it looked now, the twist top was just right, and the skirt was a little longer than knee-length, but that also worked in her favor- as her belly grew and expanded in the next for months, the skirt would raise in the front, eventually reaching her knees.

And she didn't know why, but the sight of the dress- a couple sizes too big accidentally on her mother-in-law's part- made her feel, for the first time, like she was pregnant. Stupid, really; there was no mistaking her being pregnant, but seeing herself in the dress on the day of her baby shower, twenty weeks into her fourth pregnancy, her first with a baby boy, Jo actually _felt_ pregnant. She felt as though she were waking up from a dream, the tenderness of her breasts, the itchiness of her expanding skin, the stretch marks appearing slowly on her belly, her cravings, the constant movement of her son within her- suddenly, seeing herself in the dress made it all that more real.

She quickly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and then stepped into her black flats, turning back to the mirror. For the briefest of moments, she was looking at her mother, and tears began to fill her eyes. Was this how her mother looked when she'd been pregnant with each of her children? Had she felt the same rush of realization? The same fluttering in her belly when she thought of the new life she was growing inside her? _Oh, Mama, I wish you were here. I know I've had three children before now, but I don't remember, and I... I need you..._

 _"There will be a moment, just a moment, when you'll look in the mirror and suddenly it'll hit that you're pregnant. It happens to every woman, regardless of whether it's her first or her last. Hold onto that moment, because once that moment hits, it will be like the floodgates open, and suddenly, everything about your pregnancy will seem more real."_ Tessa's words rang loud in her head, and she reached up, brushing the tears off her cheeks. "Well, you have to be the most beautiful Mommy-to-be I've ever seen."

She turned, to find Tessa Donovan standing in the doorway. _"Mom."_ Choking on a sob, Jo went to the older woman, wrapping her arms around her. Tessa held her close, rubbing her back and stroking her hair.

"Oh, Jo, look at you, you're getting so big!" She reached out, laying her hands on Jo's belly. "And a little boy!" Jo nodded, choking on a sob. "About time my son gives you a boy. I have nothing against my granddaughters; they're the most beautiful little girls this side of Boston, but every woman should have a boy at some point. Girls are easy to raise. But if you can survive raising a boy,"

"- it's a special kind of club." Jo finished for her, and Tessa raised and eyebrow. "My friend Allison had a son before she had her daughter. She used to say that all the time, how I was lucky I was having girls, but if I really wanted to test my 'mommy' skills, I'd need to birth a boy and raise him." In actuality, Allison had written it in one of Jo's journals and she'd stumbled across it while going back over all of them.

Tessa nodded, smiling softly at her daughter-in-law. "Zane told me about the accident and the amnesia. How are you doing, darling?"

She sighed. "Okay." The smile she'd forced fell. "Actually, honestly? Mom, I'm scared."

"About what, sweetheart? The birth?"

"No. Well... yes, but... the... the amnesia. What... what if only a few of my memories come back? Or half of them? Or they don't come back at all? What if I'm _stuck_ like this, not remembering Zane or our girls or our life together for the rest of my life?" She bit her lip, and Tessa reached up to wipe the tears away. "What if I wake up twenty years from now and I still have no memory of Zane, no memory of our daughters, or worse, what if I lose the memories I've made of them and then lose memories of this baby? I don't want to wake up not remembering who my husband and children are..."

"Shh, shh, Jo. It'll be okay, whatever way it turns out, good or bad. You just have to have a little faith, okay?" She nodded. "Have faith, sweetheart. And whatever way your brain goes, know we'll all be here to catch you." Once Jo had kind of calmed down, she took her hands. "Now, no more tears. Let's go downstairs; a couple people got here when we did. Let's go greet your guests and make sure to enjoy yourself, okay? This is your day. Yours and this beautiful baby boy's okay?"

Jo nodded as Tessa wrapped her arm around her waist, and led her from the bedroom.


	23. Chapter 23

"Auntie Jo!"

She smiled softly, accepting the hug Jenna gave her; the teenager curled into her favorite aunt's embrace, being careful of her belly. A moment passed as she reached down and lay a hand over Jo's belly, and the older woman smiled at her, before covering her hand and pressing gently. The baby kicked and Jenna grinned; she had been young when Cate, Anna and Ela were born- being a couple years older than Cate- and that was always something Jo had done; allowed Jenna to feel the baby kick without the girl having to ask her for permission. Probably because Jo had always seen Jenna as partially hers.

She had helped Allison raise the girl, just as Allison was helping her and Zane raise the girls; the close friendship between the two women meant it was a common sight to see Nathan Stark's daughter at the house on Coriolis Loop, regardless of season or day of the week, within reason. It gave Allison peace of mind to know that her daughter was over at her best friend's house when she wasn't at the bunker.

Jenna giggled, pulling her hand away to cover her mouth, and Jo chuckled softly. She kissed the older girl on the head, before moving to greet a couple more people. The small, intimate gathering among friends and family was exactly how Jo liked it; no fuss, no outlandishness, no insane decorations or overabundance of food- Jo had suggested a pot luck, to make it easy, and so they had everything from cake and pie to stew, salad, pasta, sandwiches and everything in between. Of course there were decorations, but not many; neither Jo nor Zane were into the big, extravagant parties.

The same chalkboard used for their pregnancy and gender reveal announcements rested on an easel not far from the door, the words,

_Fourth time, lucky!_

_The Donovan household is welcoming a baby boy!_

_Any gifts you chose to bring will be opened today, however our little gift is under_ strict _orders to wait until Christmas to be opened!_

_Until then, we're so happy you could be here to help us celebrate the upcoming arrival of our bundle of joy!_

A small table sat in front of the easel with a book the girls had put together for the shower, with copies of the sonograms, and facts they'd learned about the baby each week of Jo's pregnancy up to then, and it was opened to a simply decorated page, the words,

_Donovan Boy's Baby Shower-_

_please leave a comment so he will know who came to celebrate!_

It had been the girls' ideas; they had flooded their parents with ideas for the shower- many of their ideas had been too elaborate for their parents' tastes, though a few had been agreed to. Jo had suggested the pot luck, and Zane had suggested using their much used chalkboard sign. The guestbook had been Cate's idea, and she'd been going to Allison after school every day for help with it; it was Allison who had given her the majority of the facts in the book. Anna had hurried into the study, coming back out with a very much well-loved copy of _The Story of Ferdinand_. She didn't say a word, simply held it out to Jo, who'd taken it, confused.

"You read it to us all the time, Mommy."

"Read what, Annie?" Zane had asked, joining his girls. Anna had turned to him.

"Ferdinand the bull."

Zane had then glanced at Jo, and it clicked. He'd picked up her journal and quickly jotted down,

_Bedtime Stories-_

_The Story of Ferdinand_

_The Secret Garden_

_The Chronicles of Narnia_

_Where the Wild Things Are_

_Harry Potter_

_Roald Dahl_

He'd then handed it to Jo, who'd skimmed the list and nodded. "Right. Sorry."

"No, I'm sorry, Mommy. I forgot. You don't remember."

Jo had shut the journal and then held it and the storybook to her chest, kneeling down as best she could with her belly and taking Anna's chin. "It's okay, Annie. I forgot too."

So they had gone with a literary theme for the shower, asking everyone to bring a children's book, used or unused, vintage or contemporary, and asked them to leave the stories in the basket on the table, saying these specific stories would go on the bookshelf in the baby's room. Peter Rabbit, Aslan the Lion, the red robin and Ferdinand were just a few of the themes used for the shower, and everyone adored it.

As Jo wrapped Tessie and Ricco each in a hug, Michaela handed her aunt a flat present wrapped in blue paper. Jo knelt down, feeling Ricco's hand on her shoulder to steady her as she met her niece's gaze. "Thank you, Mickey, but what is it?"

"Open it, Auntie. Please."

"If it's for the baby, I'll wait and open it with the rest of the gifts-"

"It's not for the baby, it's for you."

"For _me_?" The child nodded. Jo glanced at her brother and sister-in-law. "Mickey, I don't think you've _quite_ grasped the concept of a baby shower yet. The mommy doesn't get the gifts, the baby gets the gifts."

"I know, Auntie, but this is for you. Open it!"

_"Michaela."_

"Please?"

With a soft chuckle, Jo stood with Ricco's help, carefully tearing open the wrapping paper as Zane joined her, sliding an arm around her waist. Everyone watched as Jo slowly removed the wrapping paper, a soft gasp escaping her. "What is it, sweetheart?" She turned to Zane, smiling softly.

"When I was little, our mom took us to see _The Nutcracker_ one Christmas, and when we looked at the souvenirs, I begged and begged her for the storybook version they were selling but mom said no."

"She went back and bought it afterwards; it was your Christmas present, Josie. I went with her."

"After she died," Jo stopped. "I still danced, but I stopped believing in fairy tales, and _The Nutcracker_ was a fairy tale. I gave the book away when we moved, but, I always wondered what happened to it."

"Open it, Josie." Ricco whispered, and after a moment, she did as told. Her eyes instantly lit on a familiar scrawl she hadn't seen in years.

_Feliz Navidad, my little ballerina._

_May your dreams be filled with Sugar Plum Fairies and Nutcracker Princes._

_All my love,_

_Mama_

Before Ricco could tell her where he'd found it, she threw herself at him, bursting into tears.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Warning... pregnancy smut...

The shower had been a wonderful success. The young family were now sufficiently well stocked in boy's clothes and toys, from little sneakers and onesies to shorts and shirts and stuffed animals, blankets, books and rattles- Jo began to wonder if she'd have to eventually have four boys to be able to use everything they'd been given. She shuddered at the thought.

Late that night after the shower finished and everyone bid them goodnight, after the girls had gone to bed, Zane and Jo slipped into their room and worked on getting undressed. Zane helped her out of the dress and set it aside, pulling her close. "Zane, make love to me."

"Are you sure?"

She nodded, tugging him towards the bed. He knelt beside her as she took a seat on the edge. "I want you. I want to know you still love me even though I look like this; that you'll still love me even when I'm gigantic at nine months and when I'm in the middle of labor and when our son is coming out of me, and I'm pulling my legs back and pushing him out- I want to know that you'll still love me then."

Gently, he reached up, wiping her tears away. "Oh, Jo. I'll always love you. You're the best thing to ever happen to me. I love you now, I'll love you in four months when you're 'gigantic'," He scoffed gently. "I'll love you when you're in the middle of labor and our son is coming out of you, and I'll love you when you pull your legs back and continue to push him out- I love you every moment of every day, and I'll continue to, no matter what." He took her face in his hands. "Jo, you're my partner, you're my soulmate. We're like wolves," He pressed his forehead to hers. "we mate for life, and you're my mate and I'm yours. We've had three pups, after all, and we've got another on the way." He kissed her sweetly. "I will do anything you ask of me, until I can't anymore. I love you."

She wrapped her arms around him, and he held her close, kissing her hair. They stayed that way for several minutes before she slowly pulled back. "We're wolves, right? We mate for life?" He nodded firmly. She slid her hands down his chest towards his waist, her gaze following before returning to his. "Then fuck me. Make love to me. Have sex with me. The way wolves do." He kissed her deeply then, removing her bra and brushing a thumb over the nipple of her breast. It peaked, hardening and she hissed softly, but soon guided his hand to the other.

Slowly, they broke the kiss and she let her gaze fall to his waist, before reaching for his boxers. He stood and stepped out of them, freeing himself, and she felt herself start to fidget. He was big, she knew he was, and thick when fully erect as he was now, and now that she studied him, she realized he wasn't circumcised; growing up in the Catholic church, she had always been told she needed to marry a circumcised man. And, ironically, she thought to herself, she was perfectly okay with the fact that Zane wasn't; she felt thrilled, in fact. She let him help her out of her underwear before returning to the bed. "What do you want me to do first, love?" She leaned up, capturing his mouth in a deep kiss.

His hands moved down to cradle her belly, and she broke the kiss briefly to scoot back against the pillows and headboard of their bed. He merely raised an eyebrow and she sighed, tryin to get her thoughts in order. "I want you to fuck me, but I want you to eat me, but instead of that, I want you to make love to me, but then I don't want that, and instead, I want to have sex with you."

"Can't make up your mind?"

She shook her head, reaching down to cradle the bottom of her belly. "And then I think I just want to kiss you and see where it goes, but then I feel you brush against my thighs, and you're so _thick_ and _full_ and _hard_ and _long_ and _God, I'm a lucky woman_. I'm the luckiest woman in the world. Not only are you tender and loving and brilliant, not only have you given me four children, and made a life with me, you're hung like a _fucking_ horse," Zane chuckled softly, but let her continue to talk. She squirmed, and he could tell she was desperately trying not to arouse herself. "I want you to _fuck me_ into oblivion, until we're both as spineless as jellyfish, until I can't catch my breath. I want to ride you until you can't see straight, and I want you to lick me and eat me until there's nothing left."

He watched her, before moving closer and gently sliding his hand up the back of her calf; she whimpered, squeezing her thighs together. He was teasing her, they both knew it, but there was something else also. He was being gentle with her, treating her like the delicate, precious treasure she was. Some men, Zane knew, would be aroused to the point of getting off at the sight of his wife with her knees closed tight and her growing tummy. He knew one or two of the men who worked in Section Five at GD who had taken a keen interest in Jo in the last couple of months- ever since her belly started truly expanding, and Zane had sat both of them down and threatened them with loss of funding and even probation or termination for the things they'd said so openly within earshot about his wife. Both men had simply stared at him, daring him to go through with his threats, but all he'd had to say was that Jo approved or disapproved the money for funding, and she could easily take it away before sending her decision to Henry.

They'd behaved themselves- for a while, anyway. But soon they were right back to talking about what they'd do to her and how they'd do it, and how _dare_ Doctor Donovan be the bastard who got _lucky_ enough to impregnate Director Lupo, not once, not twice, but _four times total!_ That had made his blood boil, and he'd sent a reprimand to Jo, explaining the situation in most basic of terms, suggesting stripping their funding, but sudden decisions like that were when she had to talk to Henry. That had been two days ago, and of course, with everything going on, he fully understood, but still-

Zane was _not_ a patient man.

Patient enough to test multiple theories and algorithms? Yes. Patient enough watch his girls grow into beautiful young women? Of course. Patient enough to spend nine months watching his children grow inside Jo? Yes. Patient enough to watch her go through how many hours of hard labor and the agonizing process of pushing their baby out? Absolutely. But patient enough to have to listen to two men talk about the _disgusting_ things they wanted to do to her while she was pregnant, or fantasize about her giving birth- something only _he_ , as her _partner_ , as her _husband_ , was allowed to witness...

No, Zane Donovan was definitely _not_ a patient man.

"Zane? Zane?" His gaze snapped back to hers, and she furrowed a brow, even as she raised her hips the slightest bit from the bed, whimpering and shifting uncomfortably. He hadn't even been aware she'd still been talking.

"Sorry, honey. What do you want me to do?"

"Where did you go?"

He shook his head. "Doesn't matter, love. What do you need me to do?" She tried to take a calming breath and shifted, only succeeding in rubbing her clit. A whimper escaped her and he moved closer. "What do you want me to do, love? Go down on you? Rub you? Push into you? You tell me."

A moment passed, before she managed to choke out, "Open... my... my legs..." She shifted, and he gently parted her knees. "Oh, _God,_ there are times when I love being pregnant and times when I don't..." She released a breath, not registering at all what she'd said. "... God, the _stimulation_... I _know_ there are a few men at GD who... like to get off on... on seeing me pregnant... _disgusting bastards_... I don't understand men like that... I don't... it's a disgusting _fetish_..." She stopped, biting her lip. "Hmm... _Zane..._ "

Without asking, he merely nodded, hearing the want in her voice, and leaned down, kissing her deeply before moving to trail kisses over the soft skin of her belly. He then ducked down between her legs, flicking his tongue against her clitoris before moving down to lick slowly at her lips. He alternated between her lips and her clit, darting his tongue along the folds around her clit as well, which caused her to buck her hips slightly. He then returned his mouth to her opening, darting his tongue between the engorged, exceedingly sensitive lips of her vagina. He gently slid his hands beneath her thighs, gently tugging her closer as he continued to eat her out, taking his time, bringing her closer and closer to the edge-

 _"Zane..."_ She exploded, whimpering in attempt to keep quiet, unaware the AIDA had soundproofed their bedroom. The taste of her filled his mouth, and he slowly pulled away, sitting back and wiping his mouth as he swallowed before taking her mouth in his and drinking deeply from her. She nudged her nose against his, pecking him lightly on the lips, before trailing a hand down his chest towards him. Still slightly shaky, she met his gaze. "Oh, Zane, _fuck_ me like a wolf fucks its mate. Please."

Once they were in the right position, Jo on her hands and knees with a pillow supporting her belly, he slid easily into her from behind. A groan of absolute pleasure escaped her, and she shifted, pushing her hips back into his. Gently, he brushed her black curls off her shoulders, brushing kisses along the skin as they slowly began to move. It didn't take them long to find their rhythm again, and soon, Zane was gently gripping her hips, pushing into her hard and fast in response to her whimpers and moans. He reached down to caress her belly, rubbing the sensitive skin gently, feeling the baby kick and stretch in response to his daddy's touch. At one point, he kissed her deeply, tugging gently on her lower lip as as the kiss deepened. She reached down, laying her hand over his, pressing gently, and giggled softly at the sharp kick they received in response.

Closer, and closer, and closer... he pushed harder into her, faster, going deeper and deeper; until spots began to appear in front of his eyes and she was so tight, so snug around him, he didn't want to pull out and push back into her again. Many men were afraid of 'hurting the baby'; Zane understood the basic ins and outs of pregnancy- the protection the amniotic sac provided, that the placenta was what shared nutrition between Jo and the baby, that sex during pregnancy had _nothing to do_ with hurting the baby. _Most men are just such fucking idiots; they get a woman pregnant, but don't bother to research and study up on what_ actually _happens to a woman_ during _pregnancy. I have four degrees in various types of physics, and I don't even need a degree to read a book, let alone understand basic principles of biology_.

He wasn't admitting that he was superior- he'd long since grown out of that stage in his life where he flaunted his intelligence, and it had nearly cost him Jo before they'd even had a chance to start- but he liked to think he had a _little more_ common sense than most men. As their orgasms washed over them each, within minutes each other, their mouths met, taking and giving and receiving and accepting, and as they came down from their high, they slowly broke the kiss, foreheads resting together, noses nuzzling like wolves in the forest, and he chuckled, kissing her again and again and again, their hands still resting over her belly.

As they curled up in bed after, her resting as well as she could on his chest with her belly, he pressed a kiss to her forehead as their hands laced over the soft mound before her. "There are times when I forget how amazing it is to make love with you, have sex, fuck, do all of it, with you while you're pregnant. You're so much more responsive- not that you aren't responsive, but it's like something inside you is completely released when you're pregnant."

She listened, smiling softly as he continued to talk, punctuating his words with soft kisses or strokes, reminding herself that some of this stuff she would need to write down. He gently rubbed her belly, his long, slender fingers stroking gently against the sensitive skin. She chuckled softly, feeling the baby shift and move against his father's hand in response to the rubbing; firm kicks against Zane's palm, that caused his parents to share a glance. "We have an exceedingly active little boy in there," He kissed her sweetly. "he's going to be a handful from the moment he comes out."

She snorted softly. "He's already a handful, and he's still inside. He'll be a royal terror like his sisters from the moment I push him out between my legs."

"Maybe so, but he's also going to be the most loved little boy in all of Eureka."


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: The incident with Ela ripping a chunk of hair out of Mickey's head actually happened. To me. My younger brother Evan, Zanie's husband, did that to me when we were little, during a car ride. - Licia

_Twenty-Two Weeks_

She shuffled into the kitchen late that first night of the twenty-second week of her pregnancy, trying not to wake Zane and the girls. She couldn't sleep, and so had slipped out of Zane's arms and snuck downstairs, late night pregnancy cravings kicking in. The lights came on dim, and she put the kettle on before going into the study and grabbing a new journal.

She stopped; sitting on the edge, across from Zane's computer, in three piles, were twenty-four journals, filled to the brim each with facts, stories and tidbits of information she'd learned about herself, Zane, their girls, their life and family since the accident. The journal in her hand would be twenty-five, and it was already half-filled. After dropping Tessa at the airport, Zane had stopped by a small bookstore in Portland, and come home with six boxes of journals.

_"You may need them, you may not. You could recover your memory by the time the baby's born or two years or ten years or even twenty years after the baby's born, or, you could not recover your memory at all, no matter how many years or months pass. Either way, whatever way your brain goes, I want us to be prepared. If you regain your memory, that's great, we'll use these. Might be a good idea to get the girls into journaling anyway. And if you don't recover your memory, they'll get used that way. Either way, they'll be used, they won't go to waste."_

_"But... six boxes... Zane, that's a little... excessive."_

He'd pulled her into his arms, meeting her gaze. _"I don't care. I want to make this as easy on you as I possibly can. And if writing everything down makes it easy on you, then we write everything down, until you either regain your memory, or we figure out another way to make it so you can access what we tell you and what you learn about us and our life together and our family. As long as you're writing everything down, Jojo, I want to make sure you never run out of paper._ That's _why I bought six boxes full."_

She set her currently used journal down and reached for one of the finished ones, slowly opening it up and skimming the pages. Her neat scrawl stared back at her, telling her about weekend rituals with the girls, late night movie preferences with Zane, Anna's favorite foods, Ela's favorite games, Cate's favorite stories. How they got Catie a set of drawing pencils and a sketchpad for her fourth birthday in the hopes of stopping her from coloring on the walls, and how it developed into a passion; how Annie accidentally swallowed her first loose baby tooth because she bit into a slice of caramel apple and didn't realize the tooth had gone down with the apple and caramel- and how quiet, contemplative little Anna had screamed and cried that the Tooth Fairy would never believe that she'd lost a tooth because she'd swallowed it on accident; how Elie, at a year and a half, had ripped a chunk of hair out of her cousin Michaela's head while she and Tessie had taken the children up to Portland for the afternoon, and she'd slammed on the brakes at Mickey's scream, only to turn around and find a patch of black hair in her youngest daughter's pudgy hand that had previously been in her cousin's head...

She stopped, seeing a scrawl she didn't recognize. It was small, slightly slanted and kind of messy, kind of the way a child would write.

_'Mommy, your eyes are the same shape as mine, but the color is different. But I have the same hair color and Daddy says I look like you; that I'm going to look like you more and more as I grow up, and that Elie and Catie will, too. I like chocolate chip cookies like you do and_ Anastasia _is my favorite movie just like it is yours. I like when you read bedtime stories to us, you do the voices better than Daddy does. You let me sit and read with you and you don't always tell me to be quiet like you do Elie because Elie doesn't know how to be quiet.'_

It took her a moment to realize that Anna had written her the note, and that her middle daughter had been leaving her little notes in each of her journals, just like Zane and Catie had. She had found small notes, letters, drawings done by the girls left in her journals, little things to help her try and remember them and their lives and her life with them.

_'Daddy says that I act like you, more than Catie or Elie do; he calls me 'your girl,' and says that I'm yours because we like the same things. Daddy says that it's better to have compassion than smarts, and that people will judge you based on the size of your heart and not your IQ, something people in Eureka don't understand, but you do because you're not from Eureka. He says that you love everybody, even people who don't deserve it, because that's how you were taught. I want to be like you when I grow up, Mommy. But I want you to remember me when I do grow up. Auntie Allie says it takes time for your memory to come back, but I want it to come back now. I miss you. Love, Anna'_

She jumped, hearing the whistle of the kettle on the stove, and hurried from the study to grab it and turned the burner off. She quickly fixed her tea, hurriedly wiping the tears off her cheeks. A hand slid around her midsection, gently rubbing her belly and she jumped, turning to find Zane behind her, a look of worry on his face, as though he'd just woken up, which he probably had. "Whoa, whoa, easy, Jojo. _Easy_ , Mama. Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah, I... I... just couldn't sleep." He nodded, releasing her as she turned to face him. He studied her momentarily, before nodding.

"You sure that's all?" He asked, fixing himself a cup of tea. She bit her lip, weighing the pros and cons before,

"I was... looking through one of my journals and I found a little note that Annie had written for me. It... it made me cry. Ironic, because I cry at the drop of a hat these days, but... it was just... really, really sweet."

"Well, our Annie's..." Zane chuckled softly. "the sweetest out of all of them." He set his cup down, reaching out to gently cradle her belly. "Part of me still doesn't believe it's real; that as of next week, you'll be six months along and halfway done with this pregnancy." She 'hmmed' softly in response, resting her hands on the crest of her belly, watching as he gently rubbed a hand back and forth along the front of her tummy, a soft smile dancing on her lips as she felt the baby move and shift in response to Zane's touch. "What's so funny?"

She shook her head. "He absolutely loves you. Your touch, the sound of your voice, when you kiss my belly. He's much more active when you're near."

Zane chuckled. "Maybe so, but he's your son."

"No, he's _your_ son."

"He may be my son, but _you're_ his mother. He's devoted to you first and foremost, no matter how much he loves me, because he's your son and he's growing inside you. Doesn't matter if I'm his father or not, you're his mother, you hold _all_ the sway in this house," He reached up, brushing away a strand of hair. "and all the cards."

"Is that right?"

He nodded. "Mhm. And once he's out, he'll learn _real quick_ that _my_ devotion, first and foremost, is to _you_ , and _then_ him and his sisters." Their lips met in a soft kiss that soon turned heated, and she reached down, covering his hands with hers, pressing gently. The baby shifted and moved, kicking firmly and repeatedly against his parents' hands, but they didn't notice, so wrapped up in their kiss were they. They only broke apart when the baby landed an exceedingly well-placed kick sharply against Jo's lower ribs, and she jolted back, breaking the kiss with a wince and a sharp inhale. "Jojo?"

She reached up, resting a hand just below her left breast where he'd kicked her, and released a slow breath. "I'm fine, just... someone didn't like that we were paying attention to each other and not him... ooh..." She chuckled softly, glancing at Zane before turning her attention to her belly. "Let me guess, you don't like it when you have to share Daddy with me? Or is it me with Daddy? Hmm? Or do you just not like sharing us in general?" The baby shifted, stretching and kicking hard in response, and Jo's hand shifted to her other side. "That was a little hand." The baby kicked again, and Zane shifted his hand to her other side, feeling his son's foot kick hard against his palm. "And a foot."

With an exasperated sigh, Zane knelt until he was level with her belly. The baby landed another sharp kick to his father's palm and Jo winced before slowly releasing a breath. "Hey, hey, easy little boy. _Easy._ I take it someone doesn't like to share, hmm?" Jo watched her husband, noting how the sharp kicks and stretches seemed to slow as the baby calmed down at his father's voice. "Is it that you don't like sharing _me_ , or don't like sharing _Mommy_?" The baby shifted, kicking hard against his father's palm again, as Zane brought his other hand to the front of Jo's belly and gently stroked the stretching skin beneath her tank top. Zane glanced at Jo. "Ah, so you don't like sharing Mommy, is that it?"

Zane gently lifted the bottom of her top up, watching the subtle movements as the baby shifted. Jo reached behind her to rest a hand on her lower back, moving her other hand up to rest on the crest of her belly, releasing a breath as she felt the baby shift and move; she'd gotten used to her son's energetic movements over the course of the last few weeks. Something in the back of her brain told her that he was going to be a very, _very_ active little boy, and if he didn't get into some sort of trouble or cause some sort of chaos as he grew up, then she'd know he took after her; though if his movements in the womb were anything to go by, she knew _exactly_ who he'd take after once he came out. "You are _not_ going to be the _only_ Donovan male in this house, little man, so you're going to have to _share_ Mommy." The baby shifted in response. "I know you don't like it, but you don't get a say. You get Mommy all to yourself right now because you're growing inside her, but once you come out, you're going to have to get used to sharing her with not just me, but your big sisters as well."

Zane watched her belly shift as the baby stretched, one tiny hand hitting just to the right of Jo's belly button. He chuckled softly, gently stroking her skin in attempt to calm his son down. "I know, baby boy, but you don't get a say; there are _three_ little girls who came before you, and you may get all Mommy's attention for the first few months after you come out, but that doesn't mean you get her attention all the time, your sisters won't allow it. The way they see it, is they were here _before_ you, so they get Mommy's attention first." The baby kicked in response, and Jo reached down, gently tapping her index finger against the little foot she could feel; the baby retracted against his mother's touch, shifting away from her, and Jo followed, doing the same on the other side when she felt the baby kick. This went on for several minutes, and Zane watched his wife's belly shift and change shape slightly whenever the baby moved, noticing how he seemed to shy away from Jo's gentle taps against the bottoms of his feet when he kicked her. A soft giggle escaped her, and she met his gaze, grinning.

_"What are you doing, Jojo?"_

_"Nothing." But even as she said it, he watched her gently tap the side of her belly; he'd seen the baby kick her, and then watched as her belly shifted and the baby moved to the other side. Her fingers followed, stroking over the crest of her belly to tap against the foot that kicked her other side. It became a game; the baby would kick and Jo would tap the little foot in response and the baby would shift, moving away from her mother's fingers._

A slow smile spread over his face; even if _she_ didn't remember or realize what she was doing, clearly her _body_ did. It was a game she had played with all three of their girls during each pregnancy, a game he was _certain_ wouldn't be played with their son now that her memory was gone, but clearly Jo's body had other plans. Even with amnesia, her fingers still remembered.

_"Someone doesn't like when I do this." She tapped against the little foot he could see kick against her, and then watched as her belly shifted, the baby moving to get away from her mother's gentle taps against the bottoms of her tiny feet. "You think that means she won't like having her feet touched?"_

_"Or it means she doesn't like being poked."_

_"I'm not poking her, I'm just tapping her. Poking implies annoyance. I'm just teasing her. Isn't that right, Kitten?" They had chosen Caterina for Jo's mother, but the Security Director had taken to calling the baby 'Kitten', a rare nickname that Caterina Lupo had used for her daughter from her pregnancy up until her death. Whatever the decision for the rare nickname, it brought Jo a silent comfort, feeling like her mother was there with her._

The baby shifted again, and Jo once more tapped his foot. "I don't think our little boy likes being poked, Jojo."

She raised an eyebrow. "It's not poking, Zane Matthew. I'm tapping him. There's a difference."

He froze briefly. "And... and what's the difference, Jojo?"

"I'm just teasing him. If I were poking him, I would be annoying him." He stood then, capturing her mouth with his in a deep, searching kiss that lasted several minutes. Their hands laced over her belly, and slowly, they broke apart. "What was that for?"

A moment passed, as he licked his lips, trying to think of something to say. "For being you, and because I wanted to." He kissed her again. "Never stop doing that, Jojo." He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her head. Even if _she_ didn't realize or know what she'd said, it was huge to him. Maybe, just maybe, the woman he loved was starting to come back, even if the woman in his arms didn't remember her or never remembered her. It was a start, and a start was a very, very good thing. He kissed her head again. "They're our children, it's our job to tease them."


	26. Chapter 26

That the girls were taking such an invested interest in their little brother before he even arrived, told Zane that they'd be a huge help when the baby did finally come into the world.

But they were already a huge help anyway; especially since they'd taken this week to paint the baby's room. Jo and Zane had argued back and forth about a color- Zane had suggested yellow, but Jo hated yellow and had suggested pink- going by the old tradition that pink was the more masculine of the two colors, and blue the feminine. It had been tradition in her very Catholic, old-school family that the boys' rooms were painted pink and the girl's rooms blue- and while Zane acknowledged that it was a _wonderful_ tradition, they _weren't_ an old-school Catholic family. They'd ended up bringing Tessie and Ricco into the argument, and surprisingly, it had been Tess who had settled it, _not_ her husband, like the couple had expected.

 _"You chose a literary theme for the baby shower, right?"_ The pair shared a glance and nodded. _"Why not continue that?"_

_"How would we do that?"_

Tess thought a moment, letting her gaze wander over the stack of books they'd received for the bookshelves in the nursery before pulling one out of the pile. She flipped through it, realizing it was an illustrated, colored copy of _The Secret Garden_. _"The Secret Garden."_

_"Sorry, Tess... what?"_

She held up the book, open to an illustration of the children in the garden when it was in bloom. _"Mary and Dickon bring the garden back to life and then take Colin out of the manor to show him, right?"_ They nodded. _"And my little nephew is the only boy in the family; he's got three sisters, and every day is going to be an adventure, right? What better adventure than going into The Secret Garden?"_

_"But Tessie, how would-"_

_"Green, Phina. Paint the nursery a soft green."_

So that was how Jo and Zane found themselves enlisting the help of not only Ricco and Tess, but Allison, Carter, Joshua, Henry and Grace that week to work on the nursery. Tess and Jo spent time downstairs in the living room, working on putting the three pieces of artwork quotes from the novel together, while Zane and the others worked on painting the walls a soft green, slightly darker than mint, but not as dark as forest or emerald, a little closer to Kelly. They left the trim white, and so that it matched with the crib and other accessories. It gave the sisters time to talk and catch up. "Are you excited?"

"I'm nervous. I mean, I know I've done this before- well, been told I've done this before, but that doesn't mean I remember it. And even I did remember, doesn't mean I'd be any less nervous or scared." The Security Director finished stenciling the quote she'd been working on onto the cardstock, lifting it and the pen away.

_'And the secret garden bloomed and bloomed and every morning revealed new miracles.' - Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden_

"Phina, that's beautiful." Tess reached over and gently laid her hand on her sister-in-law's belly. "And so absolutely true. Our little gardens keep blooming and blooming, don't they?" Jo chuckled, reaching down to cover the older woman's hand. She studied the stenciled, quoted artwork they'd done, each with a delicate rose stenciled in a corner, her eyes lighting on the other two quotes from _The Secret Garden_ they'd chosen,

_'I shall live forever and ever and ever ' he cried grandly. 'I shall find out thousands and thousands of things. I shall find out about people and creatures and everything that grows - like Dickon - and I shall never stop making Magic.'- Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden_

She couldn't decide which one she loved more.

_'Where you tend a rose, my lad, a thistle cannot grow.'- Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden_

A moment passed, before she gently rubbed her belly, feeling the baby kick. "There will be no thistles in our garden, no matter what happens." Tess chuckled, pulling her sister-in-law close and kissing her temple.

_"Mommy! Auntie Tessie! Come see!"_

They gathered up the finished artwork, going upstairs. The nursery was down the hall on the left, between the bathroom the girls shared and Anna's room, which sat across from Cate's room, the bathroom the girls shared separated the nursery and their parents' room. Cate and Ela's rooms were on the right of the hall, across from Anna's room and the bathroom, respectfully. Despite the size it looked on the outside, it was much, much bigger on the inside; a TARDIS house, Zane called it. As they stepped into the nursery, Jo felt her breath catch; the walls were a soft green, the curtains that hung from the window were printed in ivy, light and airy, and there appeared to be a beautiful border of ivy that ran along the floor molding, painted on with a delicate hand; Jo immediately recognized her Catie's work. The girl certainly had a gift for art.

On the wall where the crib sat, and the bassinet they'd used for the girls that sat not far away, was what appeared to be a painted door, partially ajar, and if they looked close, they could see what looked like blue sky and the moors beyond. The door was surrounded by rose bushes in bloom, all delicately drawn by Zane- who, despite his protests, had quite the passion for art that he shared with Cate- which the child then painted in. They had decided on no mobile over the crib, not wanting one, and Jo had to agree it was the right choice. The rocking chair sat in the corner by the window, near the changing table, by the small bookcase that sat beneath the window.

A small basket sat beside the bookcase, filled to the brim with stuffed animals for the baby, and on the walls were pieces of artwork recreated from the novel they'd taken inspiration from. On the vintage-iron-styled shelf that sat just above and to the right of the changing table, sat a stuffed robin, a pair of white colored twin elephants, and an old-fashioned music box that held an old-fashioned skeleton key, a ribbon tied around the handle with a card attached, the words, _To Unlock the Garden_ carefully written in Anna's handwriting. Zane had instructed the ten-year-old patiently and calmly on how to write the four simple words, and it had turned out quite lovely. The shelf itself had four hooks that hung down from it, and hanging from them was a newsboy cap, a coat, a wide-brimmed straw sunhat, and a jump rope, all nods to the novel and film versions.

Though the novel and films were very much centered on Mary, Zane had always felt a little like Colin; while he and Claudia weren't as abandoned as the children in the novel, they had grown up in an old townhouse that had been passed down in the Balliare family for generations. After Nathaniel had left and taken Joshua with him, Tessa had moved herself, Zane and Claudia back to the townhouse in the Old District of Boston; the house had been left to her in the family trust, until she was ready to claim it. Old and forgotten, unloved and abandoned, it had taken years for Tessa to get it back to an even livable existence- something Zane and Claudia had helped with. Even now, it still held some of the abandonness of its former life- and Zane and Claudia had spent hours out of their childhood traipsing the halls and staircases, acting out scenes from the movies, pretending they were at Misselthwaite Manor, exploring the long forgotten rooms ignored by Lord Craven and tended by Mrs. Medlock. The movies and story had resonated with two youngest Donovan children, who saw themselves very much abandoned by their father, and less so by the mother, who struggled to eek out a living for her and her two remaining children. It was no wonder Zane had very much loved the idea when Tessie suggested it; he had always had a strong connection to it personally.

The girls quickly took the three framed quotes from their aunt, moving to hang them where their father directed, as Jo looked around the nursery. The little touches and nods to the beloved children's story filled her heart with warmth, and she picked up the elephants from the shelf, gently tapping their trunks together in a moment reminiscent of the nineteen-ninety-three film. A tiny smile played on her lips, and she set them back down, reaching to study the key that sat in on the potpourri in the music box; that Zane would think to incorporate such little touches like the dried spices, leaves, nuts and herbs, filled her with a sense of calm, and she reached down, resting her hands on her belly. Absentmindedly, she rubbed the front of her belly, drinking everything from the ivy-covered curtains to the painted door and roses to the basket of stuffed animals and the bookshelf with the small model of a Victorian style manor that Tessie had picked up the last time she was in Portland, a photo album the girls had been working on for the baby, and a stuffed lamb.

Her gaze wandered to the crib, where a handmade blanket was draped over the side; the soft greens, pinks, and browns stood out against the white of the crib, and she smiled, recognizing Tessa's handiwork. From the moment Zane and Jo had told her they were expecting another baby, Tessa had been working on the blanket, Zane told her; each one of the girls had one of his mother's blankets, so it was only right her first grandson have one as well, even though at the time, they hadn't known they were having a boy- hence the subtle pinks in the fabric. As she moved towards the closet, she stopped, seeing the simple table with the stuffed raven and the illustrated copy of the novel resting on it, a framed print with the words, _'If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.'_ behind it. A porcelain water lily on a pad sat beside the frame, a callback to the ending of the ninety-three version, and she swallowed thickly.

"What do you think, Mommy?" Cate asked excitedly, and Jo slowly turned back to the others, having forgotten she wasn't alone. She looked at each of them in turn, eyes welling with tears. The older girl's face fell. "You don't like it?"

"No, it's not that, sweetheart." She reached up, quickly brushing the tears away, to no avail. "I love it."

"You do?" She nodded, as the girls rushed to her, curling into her side. "Then why are you crying?" At twelve, Cate understood a lot, but the one thing she would never understand was why things- from the dishes being put away to the fire in the fireplace being too warm- would make her mother cry whenever she was pregnant. It always seemed to Cate that everything made her mother cry why she was pregnant, and it just got worse and worse the bigger her tummy got. As brilliant as she was- like her sisters and her parents- Catie's understanding of social cues was slightly limited; she spent so much time buried in colored pencils and sketchbooks that she didn't see the world around her, and when she did, she understood it even less.

Like Anna, she was often teased at school by the other kids, called 'slow' and 'on the spectrum', when in reality, her brain- and her brilliance- was light-years ahead of the other genius kids at Tesla. Though Annie had the highest IQ ever recorded, Catie's wasn't dumb, not by a longshot, she was just like her sister- more focused on herself and her family and friends than the world around her. Not that the world around her was focused on her much, at least, not the bigger world outside of Eureka, and certainly not Eureka. But she, like Anna, was as compassionate and kind and loving as anyone could ever be. Daddy made it _very clear_ that compassion came first- before brains, before IQs, before awards and degrees, before all of it- _compassion_ came _first_.

"I'm crying because I love it so, and you did a wonderful job, with everything. Thank you." She kissed each head of dark hair, before turning to the others. Hugs and kisses were exchanged, before Zane made his way towards her, sliding his arms around her from behind. He pressed a soft kiss to her temple, and she reached down, covering his hands with hers, lacing their fingers together. "Thank you, for doing this for me, for the baby."

He shifted to meet her gaze, reaching up to caress her cheek. "He, and his mother, and his sisters deserve the best. Besides, how am I supposed to keep my children happy if their mother isn't?" 


	27. Chapter 27

Something deep in the back of her brain had tickled hearing those words come from Zane's mouth, like she'd heard them before, like he'd said them before. But she knew she hadn't- or, at least, she thought he hadn't, but she couldn't remember. She'd stewed about it for the rest of the week until her twenty-two week appointment, when Allison had noticed the distraction on her best friend's face.

Suggesting that Zane take the girls up to the cafeteria- "The cafeteria has chocolate chip cookies. Why don't you take Daddy and go get a few, bring a couple back for Mommy?"- Allison then pulled the curtain around the bed and took a seat beside her friend. "Talk to me, Jo. What's going on in that head of yours?"

The Security Director took a deep breath, biting her lip. "I... I've been thinking... about..." She glanced down at her belly, gently rubbing back and forth. "... about something Zane said when the nursery was finished."

"Okay. What was it?"

She released a slow breath. "'How am I supposed to keep my children happy if their mother isn't?'"

Allison raised an eyebrow, clearly confused. "Okay? Jo, I don't understand, what's so-"

"I've never _heard_ those words before, Al! But... but it's like I _knew_ them! Like I'd heard him say them to me before, but he's _never_ said them! _Not to me! Not that I remember_! I would remember if he'd said that to me," She stopped, choking on a breath. " _wouldn't I_?"

"Okay, Jo, _calm down_ , slow, deep breath." Allison stood, gently pushing her friend to lie back on the bed. She knew she had no real reason to be concerned, Jo was healthy and strong and so was the baby, but Allison, as a doctor in general, worried about all her patients, healthy and strong or not, it didn't matter. It was always the same for the very few pregnant women Allison looked after- keep them as calm and focused on the pregnancy as much as possible to reduce stress and keep them from premature labor- especially in a town like Eureka.

In her time as the Medical Director, Allison had only delivered one baby prematurely, and that had been due to an accident in Section Nine, years before Jo had arrived in Eureka, and it had taken both the baby and its mother. It was the one that haunted her, the one she _couldn't_ save- well, two, really- and as a mother, it had shaken her to the core, nearly caused her to walk away from medicine and Eureka in general, but as a doctor, it had eventually steeled her resolve, and she had been bound and determined from that day forward that Eureka and its dangers would _never_ take another mother and child from her, _especially_ not her best friend. She gently brushed a strand of hair out of Jo's eyes, before perching on the bed beside her and taking her friend's hand.

"Sometimes things that we remember are real and other things we remember are false."

"False?"

Allison nodded. "Something we think is real, but that never actually happened or that we remember differently from actually happening. Come on, Jo, you're a psychologist, you know this."

The Security Director nodded, swallowing thickly. "I..." She stopped, gathering her courage. "I just get... snippets... of... of things that... I think... were real... but... but I'm sure... and then... and then they're gone." She swallowed. "Al, what does this mean? Am I getting my memory back or..."

"I don't know, Jo." Allison whispered, reaching up to caress her friend's cheek. She gently brushed the tears away with her thumb. "I couldn't tell you. There are still so many things we don't know or understand about the brain and how it works in regards to amnesia. Are you writing them down so you have them?" Jo nodded. "Good, that way if they keep cropping up, you can go back and figure out if they're real or not. Ask Zane and the girls, they should be able to help you."

"Should be able to help with what?" The pair looked up to see Zane and girls ducking behind the curtain. Anna held two cookies wrapped in napkins, which she held out to her mother, but Allison stood, gently pushing them back.

"You hold onto them, Annie. Mommy can have them after we check that the baby's growing okay." She brought the ultrasound machine over, setting it aside before gently pushing Jo's top up and running her hands over the soft mound of her friend's belly. The baby shifted against Allison's touch, as she measured the fundal height and checked for anything that felt even slightly off. "Everything seems okay. Still a very active little boy."

"He's an exceedingly active little boy." Zane replied, taking a seat beside Jo and taking her hand with a kiss to her knuckles. "He's gonna spend his life trying to keep up with his sisters." Jo rolled her eyes and Allison chuckled as she gently rubbed her hand against the iron-like hand-held machine before tugging down Jo's shirt and placing it over her belly. Several minutes passed in quiet before Jo asked,

"How's he doing, Al? He's growing okay?"

Allison glanced at the ultrasound monitor, smiling softly at what she saw. A very active little boy, curled up in the common C-position that all developing fetuses grew in. She quickly checked that everything was okay, and turned to her friends. "He's growing just fine, Jo. See?" She turned the monitor so the others could see it, and after a moment, Ela turned to her aunt.

"That's our baby?" The adults chuckled, and Allison nodded.

"That's your baby, Ela. He's about ten inches long and... maybe around twelve pounds."

"Is that good, Auntie Allie?"

Allison chuckled. "That's _very_ good, Elie-bean. Means he's growing just right inside Mommy." The girls watched on the ultrasound as the baby stretched, kicking their mother's tummy.

"Mommy, Daddy, did you _see_ that?"

"We saw, Ela." Zane chuckled at his youngest daughter's excitement. As the weeks progressed, the girls got more and more excited about the baby; it wasn't uncommon for him to come home from work to find Jo, already home early, curled up on the sofa with one of the girls, hands on her belly, watching her tummy shift with each movement.

"Please, try not to have another unassisted home birth, Jo." Zane snapped out of his thoughts. "I would like to at least deliver my nephew since I didn't get to deliver my nieces."

"Zoe says she's going to deliver the baby, Auntie Allie." Cate piped up, and Allison snorted softly.

"Zoe doesn't have the experience to deliver your baby brother, Catie Cat."

"Neither do I, but I've delivered all three of my daughters." The good doctor turned a glare to the Section Five Director.

"Because you kept _'forgetting'_ to call me and let me know she was in labor."

"It's not _my_ fault my daughters chose to-"

"You don't get to play _that_ card, Zane Donovan. It's not _that_ hard to pick up a phone-"

"No, it's not, but this is _my_ son-"

"Well it's _my_ nephew-"

" _Technically,_ " Jo's voice cut through the argument, and they turned to her. "it's _my_ son, in _my_ body. And... if anyone's delivered the girls, it was me. Because _I_ pushed them out, didn't I? So _therefore_ , the one who's going to be delivering this baby is _me_ , because he's coming out of _my_ body."

"Mommy has a point, Daddy, Auntie Allie." Cate piped up, and they turned to her, and the girl simply shrugged.


	28. Chapter 28

_Twenty-Four Weeks_

It didn't seem possible.

Six months; she was officially into the second week of the sixth month of her pregnancy.

The long-sleeved, soft sweater melded to her body, clinging to her rounded belly, and highlighting the roundness of it. She was certainly bigger, like most women in subsequent pregnancies tended to be. She couldn't take her gaze off the curve of her belly; in the last two weeks, she had only gotten rounder and softer,; a very clear definition around her hips and ribs was starting to show, meaning there was visible roundness when she stared at her belly in the mirror, and she was now able to identify when he was awake and when he was asleep. He was often much more active right around bedtime, and often kept her up with his stretches and kicks. Her skin had started to change slightly in color, she had minor issues with balance and dizziness- normal things, Allison reminded her- and she was also starting to have trouble sleeping because she couldn't find a good position.

She had filled up eight more journals in the two weeks since her twenty-two week check up; the girls would tell her so much she couldn't keep up writing. On occasion, Zane took over writing for her to give her a break, and she often found the journals filled with stories, facts and little tidbits to help her try and remember. More than once, she found scraps of paper tucked into her journals, little notes scrawled on them like, _'Those caramel eyes are what caught my attention my first day in Eureka'_ , _'The little frown lines you get between your eyes when you're angry are absolutely adorable. Honest.'_ and _'The very fact that you've gone through three pregnancies before and not_ shot _anyone intrigues me as much as it terrifies me'_ , and while they didn't help jog any memories, they made her smile, at least. She had also found little notes and folded drawings in her journals from the girls-

Cate had slipped in a sketch of the gingerbread house she'd apparently promised to help them make this Christmas, with a note saying, _'Don't worry, Mommy, we can make it next year, after the baby's born, that way he can help too,'_ and Ela had slid in a picture Zane had taken of the two of them carving Jack-o-lanterns a couple years earlier. Anna had written another sweet little note on the inside back cover of one of her journals, the words simply being, _'Anne's arm is still broken because she fell off the roof, Mommy. We won't read anymore for bedtime until you get your memory back. - Love, Annie Shirley.'_

Jo had had to ask Zane about the note, and he'd explained to her that she'd been reading _Anne of Green Gables_ to the girls when the accident happened. It was Anna's favorite story, and 'Annie Shirley' was a special nickname she used for their middle daughter, because despite her quiet and reserve, there were moments when the black-haired middle Donovan _did_ get into her fair share of trouble, and drag her sisters- at least Catie- into it with her. But even more than that, Zane had said, was that Anna was the dreamer of their daughters; she had big ideas and was always thinking up grand stories- so much so, that Zane was convinced Annie would become the writer of the family. Her head was filled with wild fantasies and elaborate daydreams that she often shared with Jo; at least, she had until the accident. Since the accident, Anna had been reluctant to share any of her daydreams or stories with her mother, afraid she wouldn't remember them or would possibly forget her.

It brought tears to her eyes- happy tears- to find the little notes and drawings and pictures Zane and the girls slipped into her journals; it made them more personal, and reminded her that despite her missing memory, she was surrounded by family, and loved deeply; that her daughters and the man she'd unintentionally chosen to be their father still loved her, would always love her, even if she never recovered her memory.

"Mommy?"

She turned; Anna stood in the doorway. "Come here, Annie." The child hurried to her, and Jo pulled her into her side. Anna had taken to slipping upstairs when they were all home and spending some time with Jo; it had started to become a bit of a ritual for the contemplative middle daughter and her mother, and reminded the girl that Jo loved her, just like she loved Catie and Elie. The child tucked herself into her side, and after a moment, reached out and plucked at the material of her mother's sweater.

Eventually, Jo made her way to the bed, sitting down and scooting back to sit against the headboard as Anna climbed up beside her, snuggling into her side. The Security Director gently kissed her daughter's head, holding her close. She, like Anna, relished the quiet that enveloped them, knowing full well that as soon as they both stepped downstairs, the chaos would suck them both in, for Cate and Ela, despite their four year age difference, fed off each other in regards to the insanity that took place in the house on Coriolis Loop. While not deliberate, it was annoying to both mother and middle daughter, and even the baby didn't like it, if his constant kicking at the shrieks and arguing between his sisters was anything to go by. The only one who seemed able to tolerate it was Zane, but that's because he'd been doling out this particular punishment to his oldest and youngest for years, even before Jo's memory was snatched away. From everything she'd learned about Zane, Jo found it hard to believe her former felon, former-anti-establishment anarchist with an interest in toasted peanut butter and bacon and a love of photography, was the disciplinarian of the house.

 _"Theresa Donovan let you get away with nothing. It was 'please' and 'thank you', hold open doors for little old ladies, apologize when you're wrong, keep your smart mouth shut or you get the wooden spoon- Mom's full-blood Irish on my grandma's side- like_ Derry Girls _Irish- and_ any _foul language gets you not the wooden spoon, but the bar of soap. Claud learned that the hard way. The only reason she didn't get to me about my computer crimes and hacking is because the feds got to me first. But either way, you don't mess with Theresa Donovan. I learned to adapt after Catie was born; I don't believe in wooden spoons or bars of soap, but usually a minor smack on the hand and a stern dressing down will do the trick."_

She had merely nodded and asked, _"And what about when we have three teenage girls in the house?"_

Zane had paled and shuddered. _"'Then God and all his Heavenly angels protect and preserve every living being in this house,' as Mom says."_

Anna's small hand moved to feel her tummy as she tugged the sweater up and tucked it beneath her breasts. Gently, Jo took her daughter's hand, sliding it gently over the swell of her belly towards the lower left and gently pressing down. The baby kicked against his mother and sister's hands, and Anna giggled. "His feet." Jo nodded, then sliding her daughter's hand down beneath her belly and back up the other side, towards her ribs, where she gently pressed down. "His head."

"Mhm. He's laying diagonal this way," She indicated, before resting her daughter's hand back onto her belly. Because Jo had gone through this three times before, the stretch marks were just starting to become visible on the lower part of her tummy, and they'd only darken as her pregnancy progressed. She, like all women who dealt with stretch marks, was self-conscious about them, but Zane tried his hardest to reassure her that they were normal, they were reminders of the life she had carried and grown within her. "but he's still a very, very, very active baby, and so he moves around a lot." She gently tapped Anna's nose, and the girl giggled. "Which is good, because eventually, he won't have room to move around-"

"And then he'll come out right, like Elie did?"

"Mhm. Like Elie did, and like Catie did, and like you did." She rested her forehead to Anna's. "And he's going to have all of us wrapped around his ten tiny fingers, just like you did when you were born, and just like Elie did, and just like Catie did."

"Why Mommy?"

Jo pretended to think, pulling away and gently tapping her chin in thought before returning her forehead to her daughter's. "Because that's what babies do, silly. They wrap us around their tiny fingers and make us love them so we don't want to stop." She chuckled, and Anna giggled. "And he'll love us just like we love him, and he'll grow to look just like Daddy-"

"He won't look just like Daddy, Mommy. Only _Daddy_ can look like Daddy."

"Well he'll come _awful_ close, pup." She nudged her nose against Anna's, reaching up to caress her daughter's cheek. "Just like you and your sisters will look like me."

Zane stood in the bedroom doorway, camera in hand, watching his mate with their middle child. Jo nuzzled and rubbed her nose against Anna's in a sweet, playful way- the way a mother wolf did to her pups to show love and affection; the moment he managed to freeze in time would join the others on his desk at work. As Anna threw her arms around her mother, Zane slipped from the room, catching Jo's gaze as he left. He'd come upstairs to let them know lunch was ready, but figured it could wait; he wasn't going to interrupt their time together, when they would have so little of it left once the baby came. Neither Jo nor Anna noticed him slip from the room and returned downstairs where Cate and Ela were sitting on opposite sides of the sofa, being punished for whatever they'd shenanigans they'd gotten into this time. But as he slipped down the hall towards the stairs, he stopped. "I love you, Mommy."

"I love you too, Annie."


	29. Chapter 29

_"Zane... I... I feel like I... I have to push..."_

_"Don't push, sweetheart-"_

_"I have to... I have to! I can't stop it... I can't..."_

_Hands beneath her knees, she tugged her legs apart, feeling what she could only assume was the baby's head pushing against her cervix. She could feel the waters bulging, she'd walked around for two weeks with her waters bulging out of her, feeling like she had a pumpkin between her legs... the pressure continued to grow and grow and grow, she could feel the baby shifting against her, moving down through her birth canal, on her way to being born. The throbbing pressure between her legs continued to grow, getting worse, until she could focus on nothing but the continuous pressure between her walls. "Zane! Zane, she's coming, get-"_

_So focused on the pressure inside her, she didn't hear him slip into the bathroom to do as she requested. She tried hard to keep from screaming so as not to scare Catie downstairs, but found that she didn't have the energy or will power to keep quiet. The building pressure, the movement of the baby through her birth canal ripped a scream, loud and animalistic, from her throat, and she felt rather than heard, her waters explode, along with what felt like a very audible 'pop!' as the baby's head appeared completely out of her, a shoulder and arm following. She continued to push, letting out a screech for Zane. "Zane! Zane... she's coming... catch her... catch her..."_

_"She's not just coming, sweetheart, she's partially out. That's it sweetheart-"_

_"The cord... check the cord..."_

_"It's fine, sweetheart. You're doing so good!"_

_After another push, she collapsed back against the pillows, greedily gulping in air. "I need a drink."_

_Through the haze of pain, she saw Zane nod. "Do you want me to get you some water-"_

_"No." She tugged her legs back, spreading them further again before bearing down with a squeal. "Bourbon on the rocks." She hard Zane's soft chuckle even through her squealing._

_"... after this one turns a year."_

_"I deserve it for... pushing your child out of me..."_

_"... if I could find a way to give you the world for what you've given me-"_

_"Zane, shut up and catch her!" It was a haze of conversation and horrendous pain as she continued to push her second baby out of her. Why, oh why had she thought this a good idea? Since when was going through this much pain to expand their family by one a good idea? Clearly, this was the pain women forgot, until they were in the middle of it..._

_"... a few more pushes..."_

_She shook her head. A few more pushes her Latina ass; this baby was coming out and she was coming out_ now _. She was done; she'd had enough. Her body had clearly decided that labor wasn't going to be that long- no matter how painful- and even though the baby was halfway out of her, she wasn't going to take her time now that she got to force her Mommy into labor by deciding it was time to come out. Little miss was coming out whether she liked it or not- she was partially out anyway, all it would take would be a couple good, strong pushes- not a few like her beloved partner seemed to think._

_Zane, I love you, but you've never given birth! Stop telling me what to do! The thought died on her lips with a grunt. "No..." She tugged hard on her legs, widening them as far as she could as she bore down. Dios Mio, it's time for you to come out, little miss! "Now..." Her scream was primal and animalistic, ringing through the quiet of the upstairs as she pushed as hard as she possibly could._

A scream escaped her throat, and she bolted upright in bed, jolting Zane awake. "Jo. _Jo! Jojo!_ " It took a few minutes for her to get her bearings back, and she frantically glanced around, hands immediately going to her belly as she tossed the blankets aside. " _Honey! Hey, sweetheart, look at me! Jojo, look at me! You're okay, you're okay!"_

It took several moments for her to realize that she was no longer caught in the dream, that she wasn't in the midst of painful labor, that she was still pregnant and her son was still safe and sound, growing within her, kicking her firmly at the screech that escaped her, and not being subjected to the harshness that was labor- "Zane... _Zane..._ "

"What is it? Sweetheart, what's _wrong_?"

But she burrowed into his embrace, bursting into tears. He held her close, letting her cry. "It hurt _so much_... and it wouldn't _stop._.. it just kept _coming and coming..._ "

A moment passed as Zane tried to figure out what she was talking about before it clicked and he gently squeezed her before pulling away. "Were you dreaming about giving birth?" She nodded, sniffling.

_"It was fast, and... and it hurt so much and... and it kept coming, the pain and... and then something was coming out..."_

"Shh, shh, _hush_ , Jojo. Hush. It's okay. I think I know what you were dreaming about. Or, _who_ , rather."

She pulled away to meet his gaze. "Who?"

Gently, he brushed the tears off her cheeks. "Annaleigh. I think you were dreaming about Anna's birth; it was quick. You're labor started at two-thirty that morning, and by noon, you were already feeling like you had to push. It went fast, and by fast, I mean _fast_. Your waters exploded; Annie's head had basically been acting as a cork, and the pressure got to be too great, and... I went into our bathroom to grab towels and by the time I got back, she was already halfway out of you," He paused, thinking back on that day. "This head of beautiful, matted black curls and one shoulder, and after I checked the cord, you pushed the other shoulder out. She came sliding out of you into my arms at one thirty, _screaming_ for all Eureka and the state of Oregon to hear. She gave Catie a run for her money, and Catie rivaled the storm she was born during."

Zane adjusted the pillows and settled back against them and the headboard, opening his arms to her; she curled into him. Silence settled between them for several minutes before Zane kissed her head. "It's perfectly normal for you to dream of childbirth, Jojo. All women who are pregnant do. It's what pregnancy leads up to. You don't have to be scared of it."

"I wish I could say I'm not, but... but I am, and... and I don't know why."

Zane chuckled softly, stroking his fingers through her hair, his other hand reaching down to caress her belly. "Well, you dreamt of Annaleigh. That's a memory. Maybe it means they're slowly starting to come back?"

"But what if they don't, Zane? It didn't feel like a memory. It felt like a glimpse, of... of who... who I was... who I used to... to be... and... and then it was gone. What if that's all I get for the rest of my life? Glimpses that I can't put together?"

He gently tilted her head up to meet her gaze, choosing his words carefully. "Then we'll make do. If glimpses are all we get, we'll make do, and the girls and I will fill in the blanks _around_ those glimpses for you. We'll write those glimpses down and look at baby books and photographs and I'll tell you about what I watched you go through, and how amazing you were, to give birth to our daughters as you did, how strong and primal and... warrior-like you were... and how I felt nothing but love for you, watching you push our babies out... and pride, that those were _my_ daughters- _our_ daughters- that we'd made together, and that grew inside you and that you took such care to push out of you, even in the midst of unimaginable pain." He rested his forehead to hers.

"And how each head the came out of you was a head of black curls- _thick, black_ curls- that were the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. That you were _so strong_ ; you were the most _beautiful_ creature I'd ever laid eyes on, next to our daughters, fresh out of your womb, covered in blood and birth and _screaming_ their arrivals for all the world to hear. Those three girls came second only to you on each night they came into the world." She sniffled, and he brushed the racing tears away. "And if those glimpses never come back, _I'll_ tell you everything _I_ remember about the nights our daughters were born; I won't leave a single detail out." He kissed her softly. "But that's a problem for another day, Jojo. We need to sleep, especially you. You need all the rest you can get; it's not just you, our son needs it to."

As she curled into his arms and settled down, feeling him tuck the blanket around them, she couldn't help wondering if the glimpse into the birth of one of her daughters meant more than Zane played it off to be, and if so, why.


	30. Chapter 30

They appeared slowly at first, thin lines that stretched up the bottom of her belly, and then suddenly, near the end of her twenty-fourth week, right before it slid into her twenty-fifth. She gently lifted her belly and was surprised to see them rising over her skin, like vines of ivy trailing up her bump. Zane had merely glanced at them when he'd stepped out of the shower, towel around his waist, raised an eyebrow, and gone to her, kissing her soundly and sweetly on the mouth, one hand reaching down to gently rub her belly. _"Look at them this way, love, they're reminders of the fourth beautiful gift we created, to go along with the ones left by his sisters."_

She had tried to look at Zane's explanation as truth, but she couldn't wrap her head around it. Even less than she could wrap her head around the memory of Anna's birth. She'd told Allison, but her best friend had only been able to give her a similar reasoning to Zane, if a little more science-y. So that was how she found herself standing completely nude in front of the mirror, the house to herself. Zane had taken the girls to help him get groceries, leaving Jo to stay in and relax. After staying in bed for an hour or so, she got up and took a quick shower before going back to the bedroom. She tossed her robe on the bed, before turning her attention back her reflection.

She looked to be in her last trimester, but was only in the last month of her second. _Subsequent pregnancies mean women show sooner._ If Allison told her that _one more time_ , she was going to _beat_ the good doctor with her own ultrasound machine. She loved Allison, she really did, but this was not her first rodeo, even if she couldn't remember the previous three. A soft sigh escaped her, and she turned to the side, studying her belly. She could clearly see the definition at the top and along the bottom of her belly; as her pregnancy progressed, the definition would become much more pronounced and apparent. After several minutes, she got dressed, slipping into a simple wrap dress and ballet flats, making her way to the nursery to get some work done; even with the shower four weeks past, she, Zane and the girls were still getting gifts for the baby. The closet and chest of drawers were well stocked in baby clothes.

After about four hours of getting the things put away and folded, she headed downstairs.

_"Good afternoon, Jo."_

"Afternoon, AIDA." She quickly fixed a cup of tea and grabbed a bowl of her yogurt concoction and shuffled into the living room, setting both on the table next to the latest journal she was working on filling. She'd lost count on the number of journals filled, but the stack that had taken over not just Zane's desk, but two of the boxes in the study told her it was over twenty-five, at most. And she'd scoffed at Zane for bringing home six boxes of blank journals that day. At this rate, her darling partner would need to buy more-

Because now it wasn't just Zane and the girls leaving her little notes, pictures and stories, but Ricco and Tessie when they came over, along with Henry, Grace, Allison, Claudia, Joshua and Carter. In fact, she was fairly certain that a good number of those journals weren't even filled by _her_ , but by her friends and family _for_ her. She blamed Zoe, for having started it with that note she'd written that day.

The baby shifted, kicking her lightly and she smiled softly, reaching down to rub her belly. "I know, I know, I like it, too." The girls had looked disgusted when, earlier in the week, they'd discovered what the yogurt concoction she'd been eating. Zane had raised an eyebrow, said something about pregnancy cravings, and that at least it wasn't salmon, because he _couldn't_ and _wouldn't_ give in to _that_ particular craving for fear of Allison's wrath, and he quite liked being alive- on her list for 'failing' to call her during each of the girls' births, but still, alive- thank you very much. She'd ignored him, returning to her bowl and jotting down things AIDA had been filling her in on things she didn't remember.

She stuck another spoonful in her mouth, before grabbing her journal and pen and settling back, stretching out on the sofa to relax. Her gaze flitted over the notes and stories and bits of information she'd managed to jot down, a tiny smile tugging at her lips. Catie's little sketches in the margins, Annie's carefully written sentences and Elie's messy child scrawl littered the pages, interspersed with Zane's little reminders and sweet promises, his gentle affirmations and lists-

_"You have given me three of the most beautiful gifts in the entire world, and you're about to give me a fourth. No matter how much time passes or however long we're together, I will never,_ never _be able to repay you for the amazing, beautiful, gorgeous gifts you've carried and brought into the world._ _Nothing- not all the tea in China or the diamonds in Africa- will ever be enough to thank you for all the pain, discomfort and change you're body's gone through for those girls, and that you ar_ _e and will go through to bring this little boy into the world. So I can only hope, that for now, my love and support and loyalty will be enough of a repayment until I can figure out a way to repay you properly for all the beauty you've given me. I love you, Jojo."_

She wiped the tears off her cheeks, cursing her hormones for her drastic change in moods. How had she ended up with such a sweet, wonderful, thoughtful man as her partner? Who in the universe had deemed her worthy enough to have Zane Donovan as her partner, as the father of her children? My God, she was a lucky woman, in every way.

After several minutes, she set the pen and journal aside, stretching out on her left side and letting her exhaustion take over; she wasn't third-trimester tired- she was still in her second, and would be until she reached twenty-seven weeks, when she officially started her last trimester- but she'd gotten a lot done and deserved a nap. She heard AIDA dim the lights and put on soft ASMR that sounded like rain before finally drifting off to sleep.

She awoke two hours later to someone stroking their fingers through her hair, turning to see Zane sitting beside her. "How was your nap, Mama?"

"When... did you... home?" He chuckled softly, caressing her cheek.

"A couple hours ago. AIDA let us know you were sleeping, so. Definitely a good thing we went with the AI with the softer voice." She nodded with a lazy smile. "Dinner'll be ready in a couple hours. Oh, and I ran into Ricco today, and he asked me to give you this." Zane got up, going around the sofa and coming back with two wrapped packages- one that looked more like a portrait fame, and a small box- he kept on his lap as he returned to her side. "Said he was sorry he couldn't give it to you at the shower, but that it had taken a while for him and Tess to find it. He said that you would know the significance and what to do with it and where to put it."

She reached for the package, brow furrowed, shifting closer to Zane as she worked on removing the brightly colored paper. A moment passed as her frown deepened, for she didn't recognize the thing her oldest brother had given her-

And then she saw the little striped dresses with the collars and the hairbows, and the knickerbockers, shirt, and vest with the hat, the old turn of the century dolls and the shoes and the book, and the portrait beneath everything- two little girls, one about ten and the other about six, standing on either side of their brother. All three wore the clothing that was pinned above, the youngest girl held the doll and the boy held the book, and she realized who they were.

_"Josie, it took Tess and I a while, but we finally got it finished. Remember Dad used to tell us about how Mom's great-great-great grandfather made his wealth in building, and was one of the few Latinos who did so and how Mom's great-great aunt had been one of the first Latina students at St. Bernadette's, and the scandal she caused when she ran away from it all and married an immigrant from Ireland? Well, I knew I'd seen a portrait of Josephina, the first, Matteo and Caterina somewhere when we were kids, because Mom kept everything that had belonged to them, or as much as she could. Well, I found it. The clothing is what they wore in the portrait, the doll and book is also in the photo- this was taken around nineteen-ten, nine years before Josephina ran off with that Irishman. And since the baby's nursery is themed after_ The Secret Garden _, Tess and I figured it'd be the perfect addition. In the box, are the diaries, journals and letters the siblings kept and shared over the years. We figured they'd be a perfect addition to the baby's room. - Love, Ricco, Tess and Michaela"_


	31. Chapter 31

_Twenty-Six Weeks_

By the end of the month, her belly had started to round out even more; Catie's birthday was two weeks into the first month of her third trimester, and the girl had told her parents that she didn't want a party this year; all she wanted was to spend her twelfth birthday- _"because she's turning twelve this year, we've always referred to her as the age she's turning"_ \- with her family, especially because, "Mommy won't be able to do much because of the baby, so I want to spend time with her." as Catie had told them over breakfast that morning.

She was careful at work, letting her team handle the disputes and major issues; even though she still made her rounds, taking the time to stay on her feet and get exercise in - especially considering in three months she wouldn't be able to, she took it easy, more on threat of bedrest from Allison than anything else. Though Henry still sent her home early, knowing the high stresses of her job and the need to have as little stress as possible. She had stopped arguing after realizing it was pointless.

So when she wasn't making her rounds, she was at her desk in her office, going over paperwork and monitoring the floors and situations from the video cameras connected to her laptop and computer. It felt a little Big Brother, but everyone understood that as her pregnancy progressed, Jo would need to stay off her feet more and more.

A soft sigh escaped her throat, and she sat back, the desk chair rocking back slightly. She tugged the blouse free, lifting it slightly to study her belly. Why she still insisted on tucking it in when she was nearly seven months pregnant she had no idea. No on at GD would begrudge her for an untucked blouse; she _was_ six months pregnant, after all; Jo had found that she could get away with a lot because of her pregnancy.

The stretch marks on her belly had since spread even more in the two weeks since she'd first realized they were there; now not just coming up from beneath, but up her sides from her hips as well; red and bright and unsightly, as far as she was concerned. They didn't concern Zane, however. He was repeatedly telling her that they were beautiful, gorgeous reminders of the new life she was carrying inside her, and how her body was willingly allowing itself to change in order for their baby boy to grow.

She gently rubbed her belly, stroking her hand back and forth along the front, feeling the baby shift and stretch at her touch. "We're almost done, baby boy. Another week and then we'll be done with these last six months, and then we'll only have three months left to go. And then once those three months are finished, you'll be in my arms and not in my tummy anymore."

Her head snapped up at the soft clearing of a throat, and she pushed herself up at the sight of Zane standing by her desk. His soft smile stopped any form of embarrassed apology from escaping her throat, and she sank back into the chair as he made his way towards her. He didn't say a word, merely glanced at her, blue gaze skimming over her belly and the growing stretch marks that reached towards her navel like the roots of a tree. She watched as he set a takeout container down on her desk and pulled up a chair. "Zane, what are you doing?"

"I figured," He opened the container, pulling out a few things and setting them on the desk. "that lunch would be a good idea, and since I don't know that you'd be up for braving the chaos of Café Diem, I'd bring Café Diem to you." She raised an eyebrow. "Hot tea-"

_"Your hands are still freezing. I got you a soup and a hot tea."_

_"I really missed you."_

_"I missed you, too."_

_"... you'll have to get started without me. I believe I owe someone a proper 'hello.'"_

She shook her head, blinking rapidly to clear the haze away. "Sorry, honey?"

"I know Allison said you can have... I think it was eight ounces of salmon every week, and I know you've been craving it but because of the pregnancy that's one craving you can't give in to, so I figured, grilled salmon stuffed with parsley might be able to temper your cravings for it, at least for now, and you'd have what Allison's allowed you." He stopped, thinking. "Unlike most men in relationships, _I_ listen when my partner speaks. Regardless of whether she's pregnant or not, but _especially_ when she's pregnant." He winked and she giggled, a soft smile spreading over her face, before she reached up to caress his cheeks. They shared a soft kiss before settling down to eat, and after several minutes, she asked,

"Hey, Zane?"

"Hmm?"

She paused, licking her lips as she struggled to find the right words. "... why didn't we get married?" He set his cup of coffee down. "Did you just... not want to marry me, even though we had... Catie on the way... or..."

"No, no, nothing like that, sweetheart, I just..." He sighed, noticing one of her journals on the desk beside her. "You may want to write this down." She set her fork down and picked up the book and a pen, flipping to what she thought was an empty page, only to realize she'd filled it this morning. "Don't worry, I can write it down for you later." She nodded, setting the journal and pen aside once more and turned to him. A soft scoff escaped him and he met her gaze, trying to figure out the best way to start.

"Take your time."

He reached out, taking her hand. "I didn't ask you right away. And it _wasn't_ because Catie was growing in your belly. That wasn't it at all. It was that we didn't _know_ each other that well. We'd been on a couple dates- a disastrous one where I put my foot in my mouth over Sunday brunch at Café Diem, and you walked out in that white sundress, leaving the rose I'd given you behind- before the second one made up for it."

_"... to become the deputy of Sleepy Hollow?"_

_"The same reason an anti-establishment anarchist takes a_ cushy _consulting job at Global Dynamics."_

 _"The_ money _? Because you wouldn't believe what they're paying me."_

 _"Well, the opportunity. I mean, this isn't just anywhere, it's_ Eureka _."_

_"True. If I'd come here sooner, things might have turned out differently for me."_

_"Like you wouldn't have gone to MIT at fifteen?"_

_"Actually MIT was great. I could spend weeks-"_

_"... actually, I just realized that I have some paperwork to finish. Thanks for brunch."_

She shook her head, the memory fading. "Our second date resulted in Catie coming into formation." She chuckled softly, and he squeezed her hand. "We both agreed that we didn't want to get married _just because_ you were pregnant. We weren't going to be _that_ couple, especially when we barely knew each other, even though we had a baby on the way. So we agreed to wait; _if_ , after Catie was born we felt that we knew each other well enough and were stable enough in our life together, then we'd get married." He snorted, shaking his head. "Nine months, watching both you and Catie grow flew by fast, and before we knew it, she was making her way out and into the world, and then she was _in_ the world, and _in_ our arms and _in_ our lives, and we discussed it, and decided that, even though we _had_ Catie, we _still_ didn't know each other well enough to _take_ that step, so we agreed that, _if_ by the time she turned a year, and we felt that we knew each other _well_ _enough_ , we'd get married."

"We didn't."

"No, we didn't." He shook his head. "Raising a _baby_ Catie to a _toddler_ Catie was _infinitely_ harder than we _ever_ imagined, especially the year she turned two-"

" _Zane."_

_"Jojo, what's wrong?"_

_She held the stick out to him, and he took it, immediately realizing what it was._

_A test, with one single word, that once more changed their lives for the better- though the shock didn't feel like it._

_Pregnant._

_"What are we gonna do?"_

_"Keep it?"_

_"You_ really _want to raise_ two _babies nearly_ two _years apart, Zane? Do we even_ have _the stability-"_

 _"Jo, we're financially stable! We're more financially stable than any other couple in America. Sweetheart, it's another baby. Once we got used to it, Catie was..." He stopped, thinking; she raised an eyebrow. "Okay, Catie was_ manageable _. This one will be a piece of cake. Plus, you know what to expect and you're_ not _doing this alone; we're in this together. We can_ have _this baby,_ just _like we had Catie. Besides, I thought we both agreed, we wanted ten."_

 _"I_ never _said ten._ I _said-"_

_"Eight?"_

_"Six."_

_"Seven?"_

"Six. I'm _gonna be the one carrying them, Zane Matthew, therefore we have_ six _; split right down the middle_ evenly _,_ three _boys,_ three _girls. Deal?"_

_"Deal."_

_She held out her hand. "Shake on it?"_

_He pulled her into his arms. "Uh-uh. A deal as important as this is sealed with a kiss."_

Jo nodded, the memory fading as she met his gaze. "Annie."

"Annie." They returned to eating before Zane continued, setting his sandwich down and wiping his hands on a napkin. "Annie was... a little easier than Catie. We knew what to expect by then- with both the pregnancy and the birth and afterwards. And after she was born, we discussed it, and agreed that we'd wait a year, let her get a little older before we decided."

"A year turned into two."

He tapped her hand. "Right. But we _still_ discussed it, _still_ considered it, and we knew each other... fairly well... well enough that we could probably _handle_ getting married-"

"And then Elie."

He nodded slowly, a look on his face that she had begun to recognize was when things go sideways. "And then Elie."

_"Not again."_

_She looked up from where she was sitting in the walk-in shower, staring at the timer on her phone. "What do you mean,_ 'not again' _? Of course_ 'again.' _Between your appetites and mine, and our tendency to forget condoms, would you be more surprised if I_ wasn't _waiting for a test?"_

_He joined her on the floor of the shower with a sigh; she curled up, laying her head in his lap and he began to stroke her hair. "What do you want to do if it's positive?"_

_"Keep it?"_

_"You think we're stable enough to have another baby, let alone raise two girls alongside it?"_

_"What happened to Mr. 'But-Jo-we're-financially-stable! We're-more-financially-stable-than-any-other-couple-in-America! Catie-was-manageable-and-Annie-was-a-piece-of-cake-'"_

_"Annie_ has _been a piece of cake compared to the_ demon _that is her sister. I_ swear _that child is possessed ninety percent of the time._ _No three-and-a-half-year-old could have as much energy as Catie does. Claud didn't even have that much energy at her age, and Claud is who Catie reminds me of."_

_"'-Plus-you-know-what-to-expect-and-we're-doing-this-together.' What happened to him, hm? You were all for Annie before we even knew we were having an Annie, but you're not for this one if it's positive?"_

_"No, I am, sweetheart, I just," He sighed. "Two toddlers and a baby is a lot. Besides, I thought we were going to discuss getting married-" She climbed to her feet when the timer went off, grabbing the test off the counter and returning to his side with a sigh._

_"Looks like marriage is going to have to wait." She held it out to him, and he took it. "Looks like babies come before marriage in our case."_

_He sighed, stroking his thumb over the simple word that changed their future. "Looks like it. You okay with this? Putting your body through three babies in four years?"_

_"Just as long as they're not all at the_ same time _, I_ think _I can handle it." She stood, holding out a hand to help him up, but he stood, taking her hand and pulling her close and kissing her sweetly._

_"We're really having another baby." She nodded, nuzzling her nose against his._

_"Yeah, we are."_

_Something crashed downstairs, and they both jumped, groaning softly as Annie's cries reached their ears, followed closely by Catie's high-pitched,_ "Mommy! Daddy! Annie made a mess in the kitchen!" _Zane took her hand, tugging her towards the bathroom door. "You sure you want to deal with another one? Cause it's gonna be a lot of_ _this, especially after the baby's born and it and the girls get older."_

_"I think we can handle it. Wait, Zane, leave the test!" He tugged her out of the room, the two of them hurrying downstairs to see what chaos their precious daughters had caused._

Jo met his gaze as the memory faded, disappearing from her brain like condensation on a window and she chuckled softly. "Marriage was pushed to the backburner."

"And it's stayed there for the last eight years." He reached up, caressing her cheek. "Believe me, Jojo, I've thought about it; I've wanted to ask you so many times, but something's always gotten in the way- either with the girls or with work, or with Eureka being Eureka- it's not that I haven't _wanted_ to-"

"Just haven't found the right time." He nodded, and she bit her lip. "Tell me." He raised an eyebrow. "If you could do it now, how would you? How would you propose?" She had no idea what prompted her to ask, but she wanted to know, not for any reason other than she was curious, certainly not for a memory that hadn't flashed itself before her.

A moment passed before he met her gaze, thinking. "If I were to do it now? I'd..." He chuckled. "I'd ask Carter if I could borrow his cell. Decorate it like I'd decorated it that first day; because I spent the first two days in his cell after I first arrived because he didn't trust me, even though Allison did and Henry did and I was the new Director of Section Five, but all Carter saw was the felonies on my record for computer crimes and hacking and he threw me in his cell. So I tricked him into giving me the remote for the TV and wired it to his computer. Used his credit card and... made the cell a little more... homey."

_"You may get to him, but you won't get to me."_

_"There's only one thing I want from you, Jojo."_

She shivered, the memory fading as quickly as it'd come. "Why there?"

_"What are you doing in my cell?"_

_"Reminding you of how we-"_

He sat back, swallowing his coffee and lowering his cup. "-where we first met. Even though you were the Security Director, you were down there because I was GD's newest employee and you have to meet every new employee, and the sheriff's office just cut out about a hundred steps." She shook her head subtly, but he didn't notice. "And then... I guess, I'd give you a box from Liza's Lingerie." She blushed.

_"I gotcha something."_

_"Did you now?"_

"And," She swallowed; the memories seemed to intersperse with what Zane was saying and it was hard to keep track. She reached down, laying a hand on her belly, gently stroking the stretching skin; the baby shifted and moved in response to her touch and she glanced down at it. "I'm supposing you'd want me to try it on for you?"

_The sight of a small, black velvet box among the pink tissue caused her pause. "Some-"_

"-thin' like that." He replied, meeting her gaze. "I'd... get down on one knee-"

_She turned, her breath catching at the sight of him kneeling before her._

"Probably tell you that you've-"

_"-make an honest man out of me?"_

"And, ask you to-"

_"Marry me, Jojo."_

_"Zane, I... I don't-"_

She swallowed thickly. "I... I wouldn't... know what to say... honestly."

_"Ah... how 'bout 'yes'?"_

Her caramel gaze moved up to meet his. "And... and if I froze? If I... if I didn't answer right away?" Something was picking at the back of her brain, making her say it even though she didn't know what she was saying or why. "Would you... get up and walk away or-"

" _Oh, Jo._ I could never walk away from you. Yes, no, maybe, it doesn't matter. I wouldn't care. Even if you said 'no' or didn't respond, I'd still be with you. It wouldn't change how I feel about you, how much I love you. We'd keep doing what we're doing and raising our girls and getting ready for our baby and... life would go on. And when you were _ready_ to say 'yes', _then_ I'd slip that ring on your finger, but _only_ when _you're_ ready, and not before. I'll wait forever until you're ready to say 'yes', because I love you, Jo."

She threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in the shoulder of his jacket, unable to stop herself from crying. For some reason, him telling her that he'd _wait_ for her when she _felt_ comfortable enough to accept, meant so much, but she couldn't figure out _why_. Slowly, they broke apart, foreheads resting together. He reached up, cradling her face in his hands; she covered his hands with hers. "I love you."


	32. Chapter 32

"I'll meet you after work, but I'd still rather you go home early, just so you get a little extra rest."

"Zane, I'm _okay-_ "

"I know you are, Jojo, and I know the baby's okay, but any rest you can get from now until he comes is good, plus you can always monitor everything here from home anyway. And it's not like you'll be able to make your rounds for much longer. Once you reach thirty-seven weeks, you know Allison's gonna put you on Maternity leave." She sighed.

"I _know_ , which is why I need to get as much done now as I possibly can before that happens-"

"Just take it easy, _please_."

She reached up, taking his chin in her hand with a smirk. "Someone's a nervous _Daddy-to-be_."

He rolled his eyes, pulling away. "Fine, I'm nervous, but can you _blame_ me? Especially given that you _rarely_ slow down, even if you _aren't_ pregnant? Just... humour me, Jojo, please?"

"Fine, but _after_ our check up." They were on their way down for a quick physical; Allison had asked both her and Zane to come in to have a test done for Rhesus; if it came back where Zane was positive and Jo negative, then if she ever got pregnant again, she'd have to have immunoglobulin injections at twenty-eight and thirty four-weeks to keep her body from creating antibodies that could harm the baby. Allison would use the NIPT- the non-invasive prenatal testing on Jo and the baby, but she wanted Zane to come in as well to be safe. They'd done the same thing with each of the girls to check them, and it had become routine with each of Jo's pregnancies.

"That's fine-"

"Aren't you growing _gorgeous_ , Director Lupo? Lift your blouse for me, have you gotten stretch marks yet? I think the sexiest thing on a pregnant woman are stretch marks. And on you, they've got to be absolutey-" A look of disgust crossed her pretty features, and Zane stopped, turning back to the man. It took a moment before Jo registered what the man had said, before she turned to Zane, suddenly understanding.

"Nivisen! What have I told you about-"

"Come on, Zane. We have an appointment." But he refused to move, shaking her off as she tried to tug him to the infirmary doors they weren't far from. "Zane, _come on-_ " She grabbed his arm, tugging firmly. _"Zane! Bend knee, lift foot! Now!"_

It took a few minutes, but eventually she got him to follow her. "If you're not gonna listen to the missus, Director Donovan, especially when she's pregnant, then I'll take her. Hell, I'll _gladly stuff her full of my kids just to watch her grow-"_

_"Zane! Move! Now!"_ She tugged on his arm as he turned back. "No, _this_ way!"

"- come on, man, how do you not just jack off every time you see her nude, especially with how her belly just pops-" He never got to finish his disgusting thought as Zane yanked away from Jo, stormed over to the man and promptly dislocated the man's jaw with one swing.

It was a flurry of activity- Allison had looked up from her computer at the right moment to see Zane swing at Nivisen and rushed out, checking not on the downed scientist, but her mother-to-be; Rowley was making her rounds with Thackary, and a couple other scientists were passing through the rotunda just as Nivisen went down by Zane's hand. Most had heard the disgusting things he'd said about Jo, and no one blamed Doctor Donovan for finally taking a swing; Hell, almost everyone there would have done the same thing if he hadn't. Henry had also seen it, and knew that this was most likely the thing that would result in Nivisen's termination from Global. The man had a number of complaints logged about him- spanning from Jo's first pregnancy to now, but he had always managed to skate by with warnings, always playing good and keeping his mouth shut as long as he needed to keep under the radar, especially Zane's, but everyone also knew that one day, the bastard would slip up and say it out loud- if not in front of Jo, then in front of Zane. He just so happened to get lucky- or unlucky, in his case- and say it in front of _both_ of them as they passed him on their way to the infirmary as he was coming back from lunch. And while Jo, nearly seven months pregnant, couldn't do anything, Zane could, and did.

It took both Rowley and Thackary to pull Zane off the man, meanwhile Allison tugged Jo into the infirmary, intent on keeping her best friend as far away from the chaos as possible. Eventually, Zane joined the women, as a couple of orderlies brought Nivisen in, out cold, on a stretcher and started tending him. Zane sighed, wincing as he shook his hand out. "Sorry. I know, I know, I should have walked away, but I just couldn't stand it any longer. That bastard-"

"No one's blaming you, Zane. The number of complaints that have been logged about Nivisen since before Catie Cat was born should have been an indication to GD- and Henry did say suggest termination, but the board decided that his research was too valuable-" Zane snorted as Allison quickly checked his hand. "Frankly, I hope he's let go. He's a menace; not just to Jo, but to a couple of the other women who've worked at GD and gotten pregnant over the years. I don't understand men who have fetishes for pregnant women."

"Maiesiophilia." Jo replied. "Or maieusophoria, but I think Maiesiophilia is the more common term. Simply put, it's pregnancy fetishism. Some of it involves sexual attraction to pregnant women, or not even pregnant women, but aspects of pregnancy- lactation, impregnation... childbirth. It depends on the person. Not the pregnant person, the person with the fetish." Both Zane and Allison turned to Jo; it was so rare that she actually showed off her psychological aspects that it almost always stunned anyone, because everyone seemed to forget- or didn't know- that Jo had a two PhDs in two separate forms of Psychology and a Business degree.

"Well, whichever one it is, it's disgusting." Zane replied, rolling up his sleeve for Allison to draw a blood sample for the test. Minutes passed as Allison ran both tests, smiling softly at the pair when she returned with the results.

"You're both negative."

"That's good, right?"

"That's very good, Jo."

Zane met her gaze. "Both Allison and I knew you and I were both negative, which means the baby would be negative also, but do it anyway."

"Then why did you have yours-"

Zane leaned close, pecking her on the lips. "To put your mind at ease. Plus, even though we're both negative, there was a slight chance the baby could have been positive, because it is a rare anomaly, like Catie's ginger allergy, and since you don't remember, Allison and I figured, better to put your mind at ease with a test versus just telling you, especially with your amnesia. Plus it never hurts to check, just on the off chance that one of our children does turn out to be that oddball positive."

"Go on, get out of here. Take her home, Zane. I'll let Henry know what's gone on. You two deserve some time off together, especially before the baby arrives." As they left the infirmary, Jo stopped, turning to glance at Nivisen.

"What's gonna happen to him?"

Zane and Allison followed her gaze. "With a little bit of luck, he'll be redacted."

"He better be, otherwise I'll gouge his eyes out-"

"Zane!"

Allison laughed, not sharing in Jo's horror, but his agreement. "Go on, get out of here, you two. I'll let you know what happens. But I have a feeling with the audio recordings on the videos, he won't be working here much longer."


	33. Chapter 33

She sighed, setting her journal aside and flexing her fingers. So far, she'd used up four of the six boxes Zane had brought home, filling them page to page with bits of information they told her, lists, stories, dates and other things important enough to be written down. The girls had taken to stealing whatever journal she was writing in when she wasn't looking and writing down things she used to do with them, like teach them how to bake cookies, or read stories or watch movies or any number of insurmountable things Mommies did with their daughters.

They filled the margins and corners with drawings, the covers with pictures and any extra space with things they thought Jo would need to know- from how to braid Catie's hair, _"under, not over, so they stand out,"_ to the best way to color, _"you always color dark around the edge and then light inside, Mommy,"_ to the number of marshmallows that went into hot chocolate, _"four big ones or fifteen little ones, but Daddy always sneaks one of the little ones so it always ends up being fourteen"_ \- and things she probably didn't need to know, but they would tell her anyway. They included AIDA's antidotes and rules for the house, explaining how they ended up with the softer-voiced AIDA versus one like SARAH, writing down why the AI was more perceptive to the wants and needs of her family than any other, and what they would do if they ever had to leave Eureka and couldn't take AIDA with them- _"Daddy says he'd ask Uncle Doug if we could have her be like Siri or Cortana, that way AIDA could come too if we ever had to move away."_

A moment passed before she stood, leaving the study and going into the kitchen to fix a cup of tea. She'd never written so much in her life, then again, she'd never lost her memory either, so-

The baby shifted, kicking her ribs hard, and she winced, grabbing the kettle from the burner. "I know, I'm sorry, baby boy. I forgot, you don't like that noise, do you?" The baby shifted again, and she stroked her hand up the curve of her belly, looking up as the door swung open. "How many did you bring home this time?"

Zane set the box down on one of the barstools, rolling his shoulders with a sigh. "Oh, you know, six boxes of journals. I told the owner what had happened, and she was perfectly willing to put them aside for us. She gets overflow, so that's what she puts side for us." He made his way to her, kissing her sweetly on the mouth, hand moving to gently rub back and forth over her belly. "How are you doing?"

"As okay as a pregnant woman at the end of her second trimester can be."

"And our little boy?"

She chuckled. "He's doing fine." She kissed him again, becoming lost in the moment until the baby kicked her hard in response to not just being ignored by his parents, but being pressed between them. Zane sighed, kneeling down so he was level with his son.

"We've already had this talk, little man. You have to share Mommy-" The baby stretched and kicked in response to his father's words, and Jo groaned, as Zane reached up to gently rub her belly to calm the baby down.

"Feels like he's running a marathon in there."

Zane chuckled. "Well, he's certainly an active little boy-"

The front door swung open. "Knock, knock."

 _"Auntie Claudi!"_ The girls went dashing towards their aunt as AIDA paused _Harry Potter_ ; they'd been watching the movies in the living room while Jo worked on her journaling; there was only so much of Hogwarts she could take after a while. Claudia barely got a foot in the door before she was pounced on by her nieces.

"Oh, _that's right._ I picked up a stray in Portland. Says she's my baby sister and that she works at Warehouse Thirteen and that she's on leave for two weeks to come visit me and my family." Jo shook her head with a laugh, going to the younger woman and wrapping her sister-in-law in a hug.

"Oh! Mamma Phia, look at you! You're getting so big!" Jo blushed, knowing Claudia meant it as a compliment. She was also the only person who called Jo 'Phia'- and it had taken the younger Donovan a while to explain that though she just removed the 'n', she pronounced it like _Fee-ah_. "How's our little man doing?" She gently rested her hands on the young mother-to-be's belly. "He's doing okay, right? Healthy?"

"Healthy and strong, as he should be." Jo replied with a chuckle. Since the announcement that they were having a boy, everyone in Jo's tightknit circle had become invested- even more so than they'd been before knowing the gender. Maybe it was because after three pregnancies and eight years, they were _finally_ having a little boy- which that in itself was a huge thing, because Joshua had come out as bisexual the previous year, and had openly admitted that he _didn't_ want children- all stemming back to Nathaniel Donovan and what he'd done to the boy when he left Tessa and took Joshua with him, of which the older brother wouldn't say- which meant, the only one who _could_ pass the family name on to his son would be Zane- not that Zane was all that thrilled about passing Donovan on, but it was the principle that counted, as Tessa had told her youngest son-

 _"Claudia passes on the blood, but she can't pass on the name, if she ever marries, unless she chooses to keep her name, but let's face it- Claudia's nowhere near that stage in her life, and I have doubts she ever will be. Joshua's made it very clear he doesn't want children, and I don't blame him. And I know you hate the name and who it represents, but think of the men and women who came_ before _your father. They were good people. Yes, one bad apple can ruin the whole bunch, but not always. Look at it that way. And Jo_ finally _has a boy growing in her belly;_ _something she's wanted for_ years _. She's made it very clear over the last eight years that her brothers are going to pass the Lupo name on, and that she's perfectly content for you to pass the Donovan name on. She understands the importance of family, no matter the hardships they put us through. It's not your father you're passing down, but the Donovans who came before him- the_ good _apples, look at it that way. By giving your baby boy this name, you're giving him the good apples, not the bad_. _And you're ensuring their legacy lives on, not your father's. Your father doesn't have a legacy to leave behind. He's not a Donovan, not a true Donovan; not like the men and women who came before him, or after him. No like you. You and Joshua and Claudia are more like the Donovans than Nathaniel ever was. Just like this baby will be and just like your girls will be. Good apples."_

Claudia giggled. "Good. Because we've waited _eight years_ for this little man, so he _better_ be strong and healthy." She leaned down so she was level with Jo's belly. "You are the _first_ in a new generation of Donovan men, it's going to be up to you to uphold the legacy of the _good_ Donovan apples from the moment you come sliding out of Mommy. You hear me, baby boy? Now, I know it's a lot of pressure, but don't worry," She glanced up at her brother. "You have your daddy and Uncle Joshua as strong examples. Follow them and you'll be _just fine_."


	34. Chapter 34

_Twenty-Eight Weeks_

The leaves on the trees began to fall, October came to Eureka, and there was a distinct chill in the air that spoke of costumes, candy, scary movies, and Halloween. And while all those things rang true, for the house on Coriolis Loop, October also meant the start of Jo's final trimester.

Twelve weeks.

The fact that Jo only had twelve weeks left in her pregnancy, twelve weeks left for her belly to grow and expand, twelve weeks left for the baby to finish forming, twelve weeks before she went into labor and their lives were changed forever-

It wasn't lost on Jo, and she wasn't afraid to admit that it terrified her. She had the niggling feeling in the back of her forgotten memory that she'd never given birth before, never been pregnant, never gone through labor, but she wasn't sure if it was truth or fiction. Her memory still hadn't returned; though she kept getting snippets of what could have been memory and jotting them down, often checking with Zane and the girls, only to discover that a good majority of the snippets that popped into her head were false memories and had never happened.

She had started showing even more than usual; and she was starting to develop pain in her lower back from her growing belly. Zane had taken to rubbing her back before bed to help with the pain, and she found the firmness of his hands on her lower back helped to relax her greatly. Her gait had also started to change drastically, and she could feel her hips start to shift and loosen- something common, she had to keep reminding herself. The baby was a lot more active now- "Getting as much activity in as he can before it's time for him to be born, just like his sisters."- as Zane told her one night as he worked on her back before bed.

But despite the growing changes happening within and to her body, one thing didn't change.

Her memory _still_ hadn't returned.

Jo continued to fill up notebook after notebook, until the desk in the study was covered in them until Zane brought a new bookcase in just for her journals. He and the girls still continued to write in them, as did Zoe, Allison, Carter, Henry, Grace, Ricco, Tess and Jenna, and at one point, one of the many cases of new, blank journals went missing. Not that Jo was particularly worried, she had four cases to fill before she even _got_ to that one, but still.

Henry had swapped Jo's schedule around, so that she only came into GD Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays but not for a full shift, and stayed monitored GD from home Mondays and Tuesdays- a schedule that would in six weeks, according to Allison, who'd discussed it with Henry before agreeing to Jo's changed schedule, change again as she got closer to giving birth. Zane's schedule had also changed; his regular schedule was Fridays, and then he went in earlier on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and left earlier as well- going in around four to start the day and get things he needed to done, and leaving around noon, so that he could go home with Jo, whose shifts ended at eleven-thirty the three days she went in, just in case.

 _Just in case,_ Henry said. _Just in case,_ Allison said. She knew they meant well, but this was _not_ her first rodeo- even if she didn't remember the previous three. She wasn't some naïve, innocent little first-time mom who freaked out at every little change going on in her body; even though that's what she _felt_ like half the time, thanks to her amnesia.

Though, one of the good things about having Zane home around noon was that she got to spend time with him before the girls got home from school at two-thirty, meaning they often spent time cuddling on the sofa watching movies, or worked on organizing the baby's room, or even just talking. It was nice, to have time to themselves before their daughters got home from school, and it gave them a chance to not only catch up, but to iron out the false memories from the real ones Jo had taken to jotting down.

"Jojo?"

"I'm in here."

He stopped in the doorway of the nursery that Monday afternoon after getting home from work, at the start of her twenty-eighth week, to find her sitting cross-legged on the floor of the nursery, in a pair of maternity jeans and a royal purple sweater, surrounded by baby clothes. Her protruding belly made her look like she was closer to thirty-four or thirty-six weeks, normal for a woman in her fourth pregnancy, and she reminded Zane of an island alone in the middle of the ocean. Her long black hair was pulled back into two simple French braids down her back, and she was barefoot, studying the clothing as she folded it and put it into piles. "Jo, what are you doing?"

She looked up, lowering the little jacket she'd been studying and smiling at him. "Folding baby clothes. What does it look like?"

He went to her, kneeling in front of her and stealing a kiss. "Okay, let me rephrase that: why?"

She shrugged. "I wanted to. Plus I never really got a good chance to look at everything we were given and I get to if I fold them." He nodded, taking a seat beside her with a sigh. "Some of these things are absolutely adorable." She folded the jacket and set it aside, reaching for a light yellow onesie that Zoe had gotten for them, the words, _Cute as a Button!_ spelled out on the front in blue. "You know, when I first saw everything they'd given us, I wondered why; I didn't think there was any way this baby could be more loved by anyone but us and the girls."

"He's exceedingly loved, by the entire town." Zane replied, reaching out and laying a hand on her belly. She reached down, covering his hand with hers and pressing gently. The baby kicked at the pressure from his parents' hands and Zane chuckled. " _But_ , none so more than us." He gently nudged his nose against hers, and she giggled.

"And his sisters, can't forget his sisters. They'll swear he's the worst thing to happen to this family, but just watch, three months after he's born they'll be fawning over him like-"

"Kittens over yarn?" Zane finished, and she nodded.

"Yeah. Exactly." She continued folding clothes, stopping every so often to study something, and after a few minutes, Zane began to help. "He's going to have everyone wrapped around his ten tiny fingers."

"He _already_ has everyone wrapped around his ten tiny fingers, and he isn't even out of the _womb_ yet." Zane replied, and Jo chuckled. "Those royal terrors we call his sisters are already fawning over him, and he's still got twelve weeks left before he comes out. You know Allison and Zoe are _still_ arguing over which one of them is going to get to deliver him?" Jo snorted. "I heard them today when I passed by the infirmary after I finished work. Zoe's convinced you'll want her to deliver him, and Allison keeps telling her that she'll be the one to deliver him-"

"I fail to see how, unless she sets up camp on the front lawn or checks me into the infirmary for the next twelve weeks." Zane chuckled. "Personally? My money's on you."

She met his gaze as he furrowed a brow. "What?"

"My money's on you- that you'll deliver our son. You've delivered each of our girls... _unintentionally_ , so it seems only right that you deliver our firstborn son. Doesn't it, Daddy?" He rolled his eyes.

"I _really_ did mean to call Allison when Ela was born."

"Mhm." She remembered Zane telling her about Ela's birth; to Jo, even though she didn't remember it, there didn't seem to be any intention at all to get a hold of the good doctor, not just when Ela had been born, but Anna and Cate also. Though she didn't know Zane very well, that part of her heart that warmed whenever he was near knew him- even if her brain didn't remember him- and it knew that there was no way he'd give up the chance to deliver his children, let alone his first son. She had a sneaking suspicion that Allison would again miss out on another Donovan delivery. And Zoe...

She loved Zoe, but the young woman didn't stand a chance in Hell.

Especially not with this baby.

Besides, when she thought of it, there was something so... intimate and personal and beautiful about the possibility of it just being her and Zane and their girls when she gave birth. It almost seemed like intimacy taken up a notch or two. And honestly, she was perfectly fine with that. From what she could figure, from the stories and notes and bits and pieces in her journals, it had been her and Zane from the very beginning; even in her forgotten memory, it seemed only right that it be her and Zane now, with this baby, just as it seemed to have been with each of the girls.

"Hey, Zane?" He met her gaze. "When our baby comes, no matter where we are," She reached down, rubbing a hand slowly back and forth over her belly. "I want it to be just us- you, and me, and the girls- when I push this baby out. Promise?"

He chuckled softly. "Whatever you want, Jojo."

She bit her lip. "I want us and the girls. Just the five of us there when I go into labor; no offense to Al or Zoe, but..." She glanced down at her belly. "This is a Donovan baby and... Donovans..." She stopped, thinking, hands cradling her belly absentmindedly. "We... we tend to play by our own rules... when the occasion calls for it. Don't you think?"

He chuckled softly, leaning over to nuzzle her nose. "We certainly do." She grinned. "Shake on it?"

She shook her head, giving him soft butterfly kisses as she did so. "No." She leaned close, closing the gap between them, their lips brushing together as she spoke; his hands coming down to cover hers. "A deal this important is sealed with a kiss."


	35. Chapter 35

"William?"

"No. My boy is _not_ going to answer to 'Bill' when he grows up. No way, no how in _Hell_."

"I thought we agreed on James, for your father?"

"We did, but it just... James Donovan just doesn't sit right with me. It's missing something."

"We could call him Jamie?"

"... maybe."

"I know that look. Not a snowball's chance in Hell I'm convincing you of that. James for his middle name, then?"

"James for his middle name."

"Great. We have a middle name. Now we just need to figure out a _first_."

"How did we name the girls?"

"Your mother, my aunt, and then you combined the two names we both liked to get Eleanora. We used Isabella and Rosalie for Annie and Elie's middle names, because Catie's first name is your mother's first name."

"But her full name is Caterina Elisabeth. Where did the Elisabeth come from?"

"My mother's full name is Theresa Elisabeth. I suggested your mom for her first name, and you suggested my mom's middle name for her middle name, because-"

"Caterina Teresa just... doesn't sound right."

"Exactly... Seamus?"

"No. And let me guess, next name you were going to suggest would be Fergus?"

"... You have a point."

Footsteps came dashing into the room, and the pair looked up as Ela climbed onto the bed, her sisters stopping in the doorway. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to think of names for the baby."

"Trying to think of a _first_ name for the baby. We already have a middle name." The girls giggled at their father's tone as Anna and Cate joined them on the bed.

"Can we help, Mommy?"

Jo pushed herself up, releasing a breath; though she was only at the start of her third trimester, she already looked as though she were at the end of it, and her growing belly continued to put more pressure on her lower back. Out of habit, Zane reached out, working his hand back and forth over her lower back and along her hips. "Thank you, honey." He nodded absentmindedly as Catie crawled towards him and peeked over his shoulder.

"Ronald?" Catie asked, and Jo shook her head.

" _Not_ Ronald."

 _"Like from Harry Potter!"_ Ela cried, clapping her hands excitedly. Anna threw her hands over her ears and winced, a similar look crossing her mother's features at the noise and the sharp, startled kick aimed at her ribs. Jo hissed sharply, reaching down to cover her belly in attempt to soothe her son.

 _"Elie."_ Zane's soft tenor held a hint of warning, his blue eyes meeting his youngest daughter's and the girl blushed. "Inside voice, Eleanora."

"Elie doesn't _have_ an inside voice, Daddy." Anna replied, slowly lowering her hands.

 _"I do too have an inside voice!"_ The eight-year-old cried, and Jo choked on a gasp as the baby landed another sharp kick against her ribs in response to his older sister.

 _"Eleanora Rosalie, shut it! Now! You're upsetting the baby!"_ Everyone fell silent, four sets of blue eyes turning to Jo.

"Jo? Honey? Sweetie, talk to me-" Zane was instantly alarmed by the look on her face, but she shook her head, forcing a smile, even as she tugged her shirt up and tucked it underneath her breasts. She reached up, pressing a hand firmly right below her left breast where she could feel the baby kick.

"It's okay, Zane, he's just... Shh, _easy, baby boy_. It's okay. Calm down... that's it... that's my boy..." She released a slow breath, feeling the baby finally start to calm down with the quiet and the soothing sound of her voice. "Baby's hearing is fully developed, so-"

"He can hear everything even though he's in your tummy?" Catie asked, and Jo nodded, relaxing now that the baby had settled back down.

" _Including_ his sister's yelling." Jo turned a caramel gaze to Ela, who ducked her head. She reached out, lifting her youngest daughter's chin. "There's _no need_ for you to shout, _especially_ in the house. _Inside voice_ , Eleanora. _Find_ it, _learn_ to use it, and _love_ it. It will do not only yourself but _everyone else_ in this house a _huge_ favor, _especially_ after baby boy comes. Do I make myself _clear_?"

"Yes, Mama."

"Good." Jo pecked her youngest on the lips and settled back against the pillows, returning her hands to her belly. The baby continued to shift, stretching and moving around her belly. The girls watched their mother's fingers absentmindedly stroking over the skin of her tummy slowly, as though of their own accord, as she and Daddy talked.

"Samuel?"

"Way too common."

"Maxwell?"

"How about Matthew instead?" She grinned and Zane shot her a look.

"How about Joseph, since we're going that route?" Zane retorted; the look on her face briefly mirrored the look that had been on his face. "Don't you _look_ at me in _that_ tone of voice."

_"This isn't my fault."_

She shook her head quickly, the words fading as quickly as they'd come. She returned her attention to stroking her belly, as they continued to bounce names off each other.

"Mommy?" She looked up to see Ela covering her mouth with her hands and speaking through her fingers, trying to be quiet. "Did you color on your tummy?" Dark brows furrowed briefly, before the child reached out and traced the marks on her skin. They now came from both sides, up and all over her belly, ran down the insides and outsides of her thighs and the undersides of her breasts. Zane chuckled softly.

"No, Elie-bean. Those are just stretch marks from Mommy's pregnancy."

"You look like a tiger!" Her parents laughed as Catie and Annie rolled their eyes and Ela pretended to growl like a tiger would. Zane glanced at Jo before setting his list down and shifting closer to her, reaching out and tugging Ela into his lap as Anna clambered between them, settling against Jo and Zane slipped his other arm around Cate, pulling her close.

"That's because she is a tiger."

The girl's eyes widened as she turned to her father. Even Cate and Anna looked intrigued. "She is?"

Zane nodded, glancing at Jo, who merely raise an eyebrow. "She's a mommy tiger, but mommy tigers only earn their stripes when they have baby tigers." Jo opened her mouth to interject, when Zane met her gaze with a subtle shake of the head. He had an idea and he was running with it.

"What about you, Daddy? Do you have stripes like Mommy?" Cate asked, as she tucked herself further into her father's side. Zane chuckled, shaking his head.

"I'm afraid I don't, pup. Daddy tigers aren't that lucky. Only mommy tigers get their stripes. But do you know what daddy tigers get?" The girls shook their heads, and he glanced at each of them. "Daddy tigers get the honor of watching mommy tigers grow baby tigers inside them."

" _Really,_ Daddy?" Cate asked, the scepticism in her coming out. Zane nodded, meeting his oldest daughter's gaze.

" _Really_ , Catie." He gently touched his forehead to hers. "You know how I know that's true?" She shook her head. "Because I got to watch you," He tapped her nose. "grow inside Mommy's tummy twelve years ago, and Mommy earned the same stripes with you that she has now."

"She did?" Zane nodded.

"And she earned the same stripes with Annie and Elie, and she's earning them with this baby." He met Jo's gaze, and she smiled softly at him, hand going to her belly. "By the time baby's born, her tummy will be covered in tiger stripes."

"And then she'll be a mommy?" Ela asked, and her parents chuckled.

"She's all ready a mommy, but this time she'll be a mommy to four, not three." Eventually, Zane and Jo returned to their list of names; he promised to write everything down in her journal later. The girls listened, giving their input in regards to names and testing them to see if they were 'nickname compatible', as they called it. "Nicholas?"

Jo wrinkled her nose. "Too old-fashioned." She scanned her list. "I like Theodore."

"You like _Theodore_ but _Nicholas_ is too _old-fashioned?_ _Seriously_ , Jo?"

"Yes! I like Theodore. Besides, my uncle's name is Theodore, and after my mom died, he and my aunt helped us out a lot." Zane nodded; he knew that Theodore Mansfield was Jo's uncle by marriage, but he just couldn't wrap his head around naming his firstborn son after the general. "And we could call him Teddy. Or Theo."

"Theo isn't bad, but no son of mine is going by _Teddy-_ " Zane started and Jo rolled her eyes.

"Daddy, what about Dorie?" They turned to Cate.

"Dorie?" Jo asked, raising an eyebrow, completely confused.

" _Finding Dory_ , the-"

"Pixar movie." Jo finished and he nodded. "But that's spelled D-O-R-Y, and-"

"We could spell it with an 'I' and 'E' instead, Mommy." Cate whispered; her parents shared a glance.

"Like the way you spell our names!" Elie chirped, as Zane pulled her back into his lap.

Jo glanced down at her middle child, her precious, darling Anna. She knew that the girl often felt forced to choose because she was stuck in between her sisters. The child had been watching her mother's belly, seeing the excited stretches that Mommy didn't notice because she was too busy talking with Daddy, every time one of them said the shortened nickname. She lowered her gaze to her mother's belly, reaching out to lay a hand on the skin, feeling her little brother move; her whisper was soft, only loud enough for the baby to hear, and he shifted and stretched in excitement. "Dorie Donovan."

The girl met her gaze, biting her lip. "We can always call him DJ if he doesn't like Dorie." She whispered, then leaned up and pecked her mother on the cheek before climbing off the bed, her sisters following. Their parents watched them go, too stunned for words. AIDA said something about fixing lunch for the girls, but neither registered it.

"Theodore... Dorie... Donovan..." Jo gasped softly, feeling the baby shift excitedly at her voice. "Theodore... James... Donovan." The baby continued to shift and stretch, and she met Zane's gaze. "Dorie..." The baby kicked repeatedly, like a toddler kicking his feet when happy, and Jo gasped softly. "Well someone's definitely happy about that name."

Zane snorted softly. "Our daughters named their brother... after a _fish_... from a _Disney_ movie..." He shook his head. "I guess there are worse names; Donald. Dexter..."

"Dorie." Jo turned her attention to her belly, rubbing her hand gently but firmly back and forth. The baby shifted. "You like that, baby boy?" The baby continued to shift and move, kicking and stretching in excitement as she continued to rub her belly.

Zane chuckled softly with a shake of the head. "Yeah, he likes it."

"Dorie Donovan. Theodore James, for two wonderful men, who not only put country but family before themselves." She sighed. "We have a name for our boy."

Zane nodded, reaching out to cover her hand with his and she met his gaze. "We certainly do." She turned back to her belly.

"I can't wait to meet you, Dorie. Twelve weeks can't come soon enough."


	36. Chapter 36

"We have a name."

An eyebrow rose. "You have a name?"

"We have a name."

Realization hit at her smile. "You have a name! Oh my God! What's the name?" She bit her lip, a tiny smile tugging at the corners. "Well, come on, Phina, don't leave us in suspense!" She glanced across the café, catching Zane's eye as he looked up from his conversation with Carter, and warmth began to spread through her heart. "Oh, Phina, that's not fair!"

"It's Zane's boy, too, he should be here to tell you."

Tess sat back with a grunt of annoyance, crossing her arms over her chest as Zoe chuckled. "Tell them what?"

The three women turned as Zane and Carter joined them; Allison, Henry and Grace soon came in with Ricco, Michaela and the girls in tow. Ela and her sisters rushed to their parents as everyone settled in their usual spots by the fireplace. "Did you tell them, Mommy?" Jo wrapped her arm tight around her oldest, shaking her head as she met Cate's blue eyes.

"Not yet, Catie. Daddy and I wanted to wait for you and your sisters; this is your news, too, after all." She gently brushed a strand of hair off her daughter's cheek before returning her hand to her belly. "You want to tell them the name you thought up, Kitten?"

Jo didn't register the startled looks Zane, Cate and Ricco wore; no one had told her about her special nickname for Cate- a nickname that had stemmed from her own mother for her- and yet- Ricco glanced at his brother-in-law, clearing his throat softly. "Um... Josie? Where... where did you hear that name?" He knew; he had _distinct_ memories of his mother using that same nickname when she was pregnant with Jo, and even after she was born and up until she passed away. A moment passed, before Jo shrugged.

"Sorry, Ricci, I... couldn't tell you. I just... figured it fits our little Cate." She turned her gaze back to her oldest daughter and the girl smiled up at her, not fully understanding the major significance of the name, but knowing that Mommy had called her that since she had been in her tummy, and that only Mommy called her that, and so for Mommy to remember it- and _use_ it- was huge.

Unless Mommy didn't remember, which, it sounded like, from the conversation she was having with Daddy and Uncle Ricco, that she didn't. So clearly, this was one of those things she was doing without realizing, as Daddy and Auntie Allie had explained to them. Catie just had to remember that it was a good thing; that possibly... possibly, it meant that _maybe_ Mommy's memory was starting to slowly come back, bit by bit...

Except the confused look on Mommy's face told Catie otherwise. Daddy shook his head. "Don't worry about it, Jojo. Catie, you want to tell everyone the name we decided on for our baby boy?" The girl nodded, turning to the others. She whispered it softly, and several strange looks were shared. Mommy gently tapped her nose, and the girl looked up at her.

"Say it louder, so they can hear you, pup."

"Dorie."

Several looks were exchanged before Tess asked, "Ah... Dorie? Like the movie?"

"Spelled with an 'ie' instead of a 'y', but yes." Jo corrected, covering Catie's hand with hers as the girl laid her hand on her mother's belly and snuggled close. Jo pulled her closer. "Theodore, actually. Theodore James 'Dorie' Donovan."

"Theodore for Uncle Theo and James for Dad." Ricco said slowly, and his sister nodded. "Josie, they'd be thrilled. And honored. You know Uncle Theo will be when he finds out, and Dad..." But before he finished, he went to his sister, pulling her into a hug and kissing her head. "I know Mom and Dad are thrilled, Josie, absolutely thrilled, and so, so proud of you."

She buried her face in his shoulder, as she'd often done when they were kids. This- _this_ was the type of relationships he wanted her son to have with his sisters- because despite the age difference, she, Ricco, Davie and Luca were all exceedingly close; though their years spent moving base to base with their father probably helped with that. But still; she wanted her son to be able to go to his sisters when he needed to or wanted to. She wanted them to be close, despite the twelve, ten and eight years between them.

When everyone had settled down, Jo felt Zane's arms slide around her midsection, hands splaying gently on her belly. She rested her head back against his chest, covering his hands with hers, sighing softly as he kissed her head. She listened to the soft conversation that went on around her, filing things away that she would need to write down later. She'd managed to fill up close to fifty journals since the accident, and was half afraid she'd fill up a million by the time her memory returned-

 _If_ it returned.

As it was, every scan and test Allison did on her showed no change to the damage- her brain was healing, but _just because_ it was healing, that _didn't mean_ the missing pieces of her memory would come back. So, essentially, she was stuck like this, writing things down that had to do with her life with Zane and the girls for the foreseeable future, possibly for the next few years if her memory didn't return soon, possibly forever.

The thought terrified her.

Zane gently rubbed her belly, chuckling softly as the baby shifted. _Dorie. Our son has a name- Theodore. No, who am I kidding; he's going to be exactly like his sisters, only hears his full name when he's in trouble._ The little boy stretched and kicked in response to his father's touch, and for the first time in... literal months, Jo felt as though living without a memory would be okay. She could deal with the amnesia as long as her family was there to help her, no matter how many years passed. "Sorry?" She met Zane's gaze.

He nuzzled her gently, a wolf caring for his mate. "You doin' okay? You just had this look that said you were awfully far away. Anything you want to talk about?"

She shook her head, meeting his gaze. "No. Just..." She sighed, nuzzling against him, their fingers lacing over her belly. "just content for the moment. Especially since I won't be in twelve weeks."

He chuckled softly. "But, the upside to that, is he won't be inside you anymore, he'll be out and in our arms, and then we'll _both_ get to hold him, not just you."

A small smile tugged at her lips and she nuzzled against him again; they were so lost in each other, neither noticed Zoe grab Zane's camera- he'd brought it with them to show the others a few of the shots they'd taken when at the cabin the week before- and capture the moment. She showed the girls the photograph, whispering to Cate and Anna that she'd make sure her dad developed it so Zane wouldn't find it, and then they could put it in the book they were working on at SARAH, and with any luck, Jo's gift would be ready by Christmas, even if it wasn't ready by the time the baby was born.


	37. Chapter 37

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I love how Zane refers to Catie as their 'little maelstrom'- Licia

_"And she was drifting through the backyard_   
_And she was taking off her dress_   
_And she was moving very slowly_   
_Rising up above the earth_

_Moving into the universe and she's_   
_Drifting this way and that_   
_Not touching the ground at all and she's_   
_Up above the yard_

_The world was moving she was right there with it and she was_   
_The world was moving she was floating above it and she was_   
_And she was"_

_\- And She Was,_

_Talking Heads_

_Thirty Weeks_

Ten weeks to go.

She released a slow breath, sitting up with a sigh. With one more week before she reached the end of her seventh month, she was starting to really feel the growing weight on her hips. She lifted her pajama top up to examine her belly; the skin was stretched and smooth. It was starting to get real, even though she was only ten weeks away. A part of her worried if her amnesia would steal these moments from her, too- even though Allison made it clear that amnesia didn't work like that.

_"Amnesia is usually a one-time thing. Once it happens, it happens. It doesn't constantly steal memories; it's not dementia or Alzheimer's. The difference between Amnesia and diseases like dementia, is that diseases like dementia continuously steal a person's memories. It's a disease that eats away at the brain, amnesia doesn't. You have a chance to regain your memories back, Jo. That's the difference between amnesia and dementia- you can regain your memories back."_

"Penny for your thoughts, Mama?"

She looked up, meeting Zane's gaze with a smile. His hair was damp, and his skin dripping wet from his shower; the towel slung low on his hips. She shook her head quickly, accepting his kiss before settling back against the pillows and watching him get dressed. She'd noticed Zane's behavior over the last few weeks had changed- headaches, nausea, insomnia, and general aches and pains as well as major anxiety- and she'd told Allison over lunch one day a week ago that Zane was going through sympathy pains. Allison had made the mistake of taking a sip of her coffee when Jo had said that, and the Medical Director had choked, spitting her coffee out in laughter. It hadn't helped that Zane, Henry and Grace had come into the café at that moment, and Allison had completely lost it. The others had stared at the good doctor, confused, but hadn't asked.

Though as a psychologist, Jo had to concede that Couvade syndrome, or sympathetic pregnancy, seemed to fit Zane, for the time being. She had also noticed that Zane was certainly more in tune with her- not that she remembered the last three times she was pregnant- though Allison and the others told her that he had reacted the same way the last three times she was pregnant. It could be considered that pseudo-sibling rivalry was an issue, as well as womb envy, however Jo hadn't seen any sort off rivalry between Zane and Joshua. In fact, they didn't seem have a bad relationship at all; from what Jo could see, they had a very, very good relationship and were fairly close- Zane seemed close to both Joshua and Claudia, especially considering both siblings were over multiple times in the last several months to help out and spend time with them before the baby came.

If Jo had to make a guess, she would have guessed it would have been a touch of womb envy and sympathy that Zane was feeling- which meant that psychologically, he was slightly jealous she could carry and bear their children and he couldn't- but Jo knew it was more than that. She knew that Zane viewed her as a living goddess for carrying their children; he'd told her on multiple occasions that he was honored and proud to be there with her when she gave birth. He was her rock, her support system, her cheerleader, and made sure she had everything she needed and even a few things she didn't when she went into labor.

He was supportive, calm and focused; from what he'd told her, when she freaked out during Cate's birth, he calmed her down, simply by being there, and telling her that she was okay, that she was safe and that he was going to stay with her no matter what happened. Zane was her partner in every sense of the word; marriage didn't matter to them, they didn't need a piece of paper to make their relationship stronger, it was already strong enough. The girls had only strengthened their union, just as this baby was. Even with her amnesia, Jo knew that the warmth that spread in her heart and up her spine whenever she was near Zane or even thought about Zane, and that it was made her feel safe- it grounded her and even, Jo would guess, grounded him.

"Hmm?" She looked up, so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't heard Zane. "Sorry? What were you saying?"

He chuckled softly, sitting on the edge of the bed beside her, reaching out to rest a hand against her belly. "Someone's rising up above the earth today."

A moment passed before she chuckled, the words registering in her brain. "Why does it not surprise me that you're a Talking Heads fan?"

"Of course I am. All the brilliant people are." He leaned close, resting his forehead to hers. " _And She Was_ is the song we were listening to the night we conceived our little maelstrom."

_"Really?"_ He nodded, nudging his nose against hers.

"Mhm."

_She fiddled_ _with the dial on the player, nose wrinkling in annoyance. They'd picked up dinner at Café Diem and returned to Zane's apartment; the fact that she had even agreed to a second date after he'd basically stuck his foot in his mouth the first time was huge. They'd gone for a week without speaking to each other before she'd finally agreed._

_Over pasta primavera and coffee, they talked about everything they could think about. She told him about what it was like to spend her childhood chasing after her three older brothers, especially being the only girl, in Perth Amboy and he told her what it was like to grow up with the chaos that was his little sister in the old neighborhoods of Boston. They found that they both had a love of old eighties and nineties movies, sitcoms and TV shows, that both had grown up on classic literature and that they had a shared, eclectic love of music- everything from Pink Floyd to U2 to The Rolling Stones to Queen to Britney and Christina and Backstreet Boys, Mamas and Papas and-_

_"You have Little Creatures on vinyl?"_

_"Yeah. My sister got it for me for my sixteenth birthday. You like Talking Heads?"_

_She rolled her eyes. "Please. I wore my brother's copy out. Davie just 'bout killed me. I think I still have the case, cause that's all he kept."_

_"Put it on."_

_"Really?" He nodded, and she grabbed the record, slipping it out of the sleeve and setting it on the player. There was something so refreshing about playing music from records instead of CDs; sure, CDs were smaller and easier to use, but records lasted longer- if they were taken care of properly- and she had found that the sound quality was often a thousand times better from a record than a CD._

_They settled on the sofa, cups of coffee on the table, pulling up_ Heathers _. Over the course of the film, they found themselves sharing suggestions and theories about the characters; she let her psychological degree show and Zane conceded that though he was good at reading things such as computer programs and science problems, in the people aspect, he was all but clueless. "I wouldn't say clueless, you just haven't had much practice."_

_"Really?" She nodded. "And what would you say would be my motivation?"_

_A moment passed as she tapped her chin in false thought. "You want to make your mother proud, and... maybe prove to others that you're not what they think you are. You want to make a name for yourself in the science community, more so to prove it to yourself than anyone else. You want a community, but you have no idea how to get it, and you don't want to try for fear of being rejected."_

_"Not bad." He crossed his arms over his chest and settled back. "But what makes you think I give a crap about finding a community?"_

_She moved closer, her ponytail tumbling over her shoulder. "Because we all do. The reason you're running from it is because you've never had it before. Neither of us have; it's never been stable for us, so we run from it when we're handed it-" She paused, her gaze darting to his lips. "And we ran right into each other." She licked her lips. "Funny how things like that work."_

_He raised an eyebrow, a slow smirk tugging at his lips. "Funny." Tense silence settled between them, the music and movie forgotten as they studied each other. He shifted, sitting up and reaching out to take her ponytail, twisting the silky strands around his fingers. She watched him, her heart rate speeding up as warmth began to flood her heart and race up her spine, unaware that a similar reaction had Zane in his grip. His voice was soft as he spoke, blue gaze trained on her mouth. "The last thing I want is a community, honestly." Her face fell slightly, and he shifted closer, his hand sliding up to caress her cheek tenderly. They locked eyes. "But I can see in your eyes that you're desperate for a community," He swallowed thickly. "And... if you're willing to try to find a community in this crap town, then I guess I am too."_

_Their lips met in a soft first kiss. She tangled a hand in his shirt, and he slid his hand down her neck to her shoulder, over her ponytail. "Zane-"_

_He nudged his nose against hers softly, meeting her gaze. "I've wanted to do that since we met. And... to make up for that horrible first date." She reached up, resting a finger against his lips._

_"You're forgiven." She whispered, replacing her finger with her lips. He tangled his fingers in her hair again, yanking the ponytail holder from it. It tumbled down her back and over her shoulder in waves of silky black velvet. As they lost themselves in each other, the movie continued to play and the record started up again._

_"'The world was moving she was right there with it and she was... The world was moving she was floating above it and she was... and she was...'"_

_Afterwards, as they lay on the sofa, spent and sticky with sweat and smelling sweetly of sex, wrapped in the throw blanket from the back of the sofa, the movie long since finished and the record still playing, they nuzzled together, the calming warmth they'd both felt earlier getting stronger; a spark that would become synonymous with them and that would years later help get them through one of the hardest periods of their lives, but at that moment, it was an ember that had roared into a flame and threatened to burn everything down around them. She giggled as he nuzzled her again, kissing her sweetly on the mouth. "So how do you think our date's gone so far?"_

_She pretended to think, wrinkling her nose. "Hmm..." She shook her head and he sighed in exasperation and moved to get up as she grabbed his bicep. "I'm_ kidding! Zane! _" He settled back against the sofa, and she settled back against him, reaching up to brush her thumb against his cheek. "You more than made up for it."_

_"Oh I did?"_

_"Yes, you did. You think you didn't?"_

_"Oh I_ know _I did, but you didn't sound too sure-"_

_"Jack_ ass _."_

_"Hey,_ you _agreed to go out with me."_ _He grabbed her around the waist as she tried to get away, accidentally throwing them off balance and causing them to roll off the sofa with a squeal. As they settled on the floor between the sofa and the coffee table, Zane tucked an arm under his head_ _and Jo met his gaze. "Sorry it wasn't a perfect night."_

_"Are you kidding? Seems pretty perfect to me." Their lips met in another kiss, this one deeper, broken only by the moments when they decided to nuzzle each other, unaware that their night of passion would not only open up many more nights, but that one small, forgotten decision would change their lives and forever link them together._

The memory faded, and she shivered; Zane promised to write it down for her later, and she smiled softly at him. "So I take it Catie hates the Talking Heads?" It wasn't uncommon for children have a certain distaste for certain music if their mother played it to them in the womb. Zane chuckled.

"Kind of. Not gonna deny that we didn't listen to Talking Heads at all during your pregnancy. We listened to it quite a lot, actually. Talking Heads, Springsteen, U2, Pink Floyd... Catie's kinda sick of all early to late eighties music. Not just in the womb, but after she was born, we listened to it a lot. It helped calm her down a lot when she was fussy, but as she's gotten older, she's kind of... developed a love-hate relationship with eighties rock." They shared a laugh, and Zane reached out, brushing a strand off her cheek. " _Annie's_ more into the old eighties music than Catie. We never listened to it with Annie; it was more... early nineties, some two-thousands... and Elie's... just an eclectic mix of both... and _a lot_ of Panic! at the Disco." A look crossed his face that she couldn't read. "You... kind of went on a Panic! binge when you were pregnant with Elie."

She laughed. "Sounds about right. That eclectic, alternate style has always been my favorite- Panic!, Paramore-"

"Catie _loves_ Paramore. _Absolutely loves_ Paramore." He rolled his eyes with a shake of the head. "If I have to listen to her _try_ to sing along with _Misery Business_ one more time, I'm gonna take that CD Ricco and Tess got her for Christmas and shove it down her throat." She laughed. "I blame you."

"Why me?"

"Because you got her _into_ it, and I've been trying to get her _out_ of it for the last ten years. If you-"

_"I'd advise you to watch what you say, Zane."_

"Thank you, AIDA." Jo jabbed him lightly in the chest. "Listen to the AI, mister. I'd think _real_ carefully about the next thing you say to the woman carrying your _fourth_ baby. You want to get to seven, you'll watch what comes out of your mouth."

"Six."

"What?"

"Six. We agreed on six kids, not seven." He replied, taking her hand. "Split right down the middle evenly-"

"Three boys and three girls." The startled look on his face worried her. "What?"

His head was spinning, and he couldn't find the right words to ask her if she'd read it in the journal or if she'd remembered it, so all he could do was smile softly. "Nothin', Jojo. Just... just nothin'."


	38. Chapter 38

He sighed; the sight of that oak door, green paint and white trim above the stone 'molding' as the girls called it, was the most beautiful thing he'd seen, next to that black mailbox with the curving address in white on the side. He'd spent one too many nights not bothering to really take in the sight of the house they called their home-

The door opened, and she stepped out onto the porch. _"About time you got back! We'd been wondering when you'd get here!"_

He laughed, moving away from the car and going to her. _"I was just at work, Jojo-"_ Something was off about her, and it took a moment for him to figure out what. And then he realized that she wasn't pregnant. At all. In fact, she had a toddler settled on her hip; a little boy with a mop of black hair that looked like him. _"Ah... Jojo... who's..."_

She glanced at the little boy, adjusting her hold on him and brushing her fingers through his hair. _"You know very well who this is, Zane Matthew. I know it's been a while, but I fail to see how you could possibly forget our sweet Dorie, especially when we were so excited when he was born."_ She nuzzled the little boy, who giggled, reaching up to pat her cheeks, kicking his feet lightly, and she reached down, catching his foot to keep him from kicking her. _"No kicking, little mister, remember?"_ Zane felt his breath catch and his heart skip a beat as the child turned to him. _"I know it's only been a couple months, but you know Daddy, don't you, Dorie? Hmm?"_

Zane furrowed a brow. _"Ah... Jojo... a couple of months?"_

She met his gaze. _"Mhm."_

_"No, Jojo, that's not right. I was just at work, and you... you have ten weeks left until-"_

An eyebrow rose. _"Ten weeks? Ah... you must have me confused with Zoe, Zane. Zoe has ten weeks left until her baby's born, I have twenty-five. Well... twenty-two or so, give or take. The_ goal _is thirty-eight or forty weeks, but twins tend to come early."_

There was no way he heard correctly. _"Twenty-five? Twins? No... Jo... that's not..."_

 _"Daddy."_ The boy reached for Zane, and he felt himself reach for his son. As the boy settled on his hip, Zane realized what Jo meant by twenty-five weeks; the swell of her belly was very evident beneath her dress now. She crossed her arms over her chest.

 _"I_ know _you've been in the Arctic with Taggart doing that whole ice core project for GD- because they were your cooling systems and I get that- but you don't just get to go away for two to three months after impregnating me and use that time to forget your family back here. That's_ not _how this_ works _, Zane."_

 _"Jojo, I would never! You know me! And... Taggart? Jo, I'm the Director of Section Five, what would I be doing on an expedition to the Arctic..."_ He stopped, noticing the darkening look on her face and sighed; the little boy covered his ears. _"I... I'm sorry, it's just... it's been a long..."_ He sighed, shifting his son on his hip and taking this time to study the child. He really was a beautiful little boy, with his parents' black hair; thick like his mother's and messy like his, his mother's caramel eyes stared up at him and he had a small freckle beneath the corner of his left eye, that mirrored the one his mother had underneath her right. He turned his gaze back to Jo, feeling warmth start to fill his heart. _"I'm sorry, Jo, I just- it's..."_

She went to him, capturing his chin in her hand. _"It's okay, sweetheart. You're home now, and that's all that matters. And you'll be here when the girls are born, which is all I want."_

_"Girls?"_

She nodded. _"Surprise. You think you're going to be able to... handle all the estrogen that's going to be in this house?"_ Zane opened his mouth to speak but found he couldn't find his voice. She furrowed a brow. _"Zane? Honey, are you all right? Zane? Zane!"_

He felt himself being shaken awake. "Zane, sweetheart, wake up!"

" _No! Not twins! We don't have the energy or space for twins!_ " They narrowly missed colliding as he bolted upright. His eyes snapped open as he turned to find Jo sitting beside him, a look of concern on her face, hands on her belly. His gaze slid to her belly and he reached out to lay a hand against the swell. "Oh _thank God_ , _you're still pregnant!_ " Her caramel gaze narrowed and her nose wrinkled, the little frown lines that appeared between her eyes when she was angry appearing as her expression darkened. A moment passed, as his frantic mind returned to the dream and he met her gaze. "It... there's only _one_ in there, _right_?"

She opened her mouth to speak, but stopped; he looked haggard, but he also looked slightly wild eyes and that was what concerned her- not even looking at the insults he hadn't even been aware he'd handed her. She gently but firmly shoved his hands off her belly and scooted to the edge of the bed, getting up. "I'm gonna go make a cup of tea and curl up on a sofa with a book for a while."

"No, _Jojo_ -"

She turned back in the doorway, the roundness more evident as the cherry red satin of her pajama top rose lightly over the crest of her belly. She'd gotten upset when he'd gotten them for her not long after they'd discovered Cate growing in her belly, claiming she didn't need maternity pajamas and wouldn't need them, but as her pregnancy had progressed and she'd grown bigger and bigger, filling them out more, she'd conceded that maybe she actually did need them and that she was grateful he'd gotten them for her. She'd especially been grateful for them with Anna and Ela had come along, and when she'd felt the need to start wearing them before she even started showing at ten weeks this time around. "Word of advice, Zane Matthew. Whatever's running through your head at the moment, _think_ before you say it. Or, as Carter would say, try _not_ to piss off the pregnant woman. I'll be on the sofa if you need me."


	39. Chapter 39

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Allison's gonna kill Zane for the stress this is going to cause Jo... oh, boy...

"He looked like me."

Her eyebrows rose and she lifted her gaze from her book. Zane stood by the sofa, holding a cup of tea and a carton of vanilla and raspberry ice cream and a spoon. Her gaze darted to the carton and back. "What?"

A sigh, as he held out the carton. A moment passed, before she marked her place in her book and set it aside before she reached out and took the carton and spoon as he took a seat beside her. "He looked like me, but had your eyes."

"Who?"

"Dorie."

She froze, gaze darting from the half-open carton to his face. "Dorie?"

Zane nodded as she removed the lid and set it aside, tucking her legs beneath her and slipping the spoon into the frozen treat. "Our son."

"I _mow e's_ our _s'n_." She murmured around the spoon, and Zane chuckled, sipping his coffee. He watched as she settled the carton in her lap and reached up, resting a hand on her belly. A moment passed as she stroked her hand back and forth, as the baby kicked in response. Now that he had an idea of what their son would look like as he got older, it began to feel much, much more real to him.

"My _dream_ was about our son. But you weren't pregnant with him; he was... maybe a year, year and a half, two? I'm not really sure, but... but he was... _beautiful_." She smiled softly, taking another bite. "Absolutely beautiful. Thick black hair and your eyes..." He sighed, meeting her gaze. "And... apparently I had been in the Arctic with Taggart for a project or something for GD," She froze, something flashing through her mind.

_"What is going on with you? You go away for a month and come back acting like the Thing. Something's wrong. That's not him."_

She shook her head, having to remind herself that she'd need to write that down in one of her journals later.

"... and I'd just gotten back after two or three months away, and... you... you were pregnant." Her eyebrows rose, spoon in her mouth. "With twins."

She choked on the ice cream, and swallowed thickly after a couple moments. _"Twins?"_

He nodded. "You were... about fifteen weeks, maybe? Cause you said you had twenty-five weeks left- hopefully, because-"

"Twins tend to come early."

"Right." She scooped the spoon into the carton before holding it out to him; he reached for it, but she pulled it back, and he rolled his eyes before leaning close, taking part of the bite. She finished what he didn't eat, before untucking her legs and shifting towards him, until she was settled between his legs and resting back against his chest as he sat back against the corner of the sofa. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pressing a kiss to her head as she continued working on the ice cream carton. He sighed, pressing his lips softly to her head after several minutes. She closed her eyes with a sigh, out of instinct, reaching up to grasp his arm. "God, could you imagine if we had twins?"

"Twins run in your family, right?"

He nodded, lips brushing against her hair. "My mom and Aunt Leigh were twins. Aunt Leigh was younger by five minutes." He reached down, sliding his hand over her belly as he continued to pepper her hair with kisses. "Aunt Leigh's death nearly killed Mom. It's why I wanted Annie to have Leigh's name, and she's a lot like my aunt; that contemplative, quiet, creative type. Leigh would be proud to meet her namesake." He sighed. "I remember Mom telling me once that Claudia and I should have been twins because we were so similar in temperament and personality, that having three years between us just didn't seem right."

Jo furrowed a brow, turning to look up at him. "When was Claudia born?"

He stopped, doing the math in his head. "Let's see... Joshua was born in... March of... seventy-eight... I was born in... January eighty-one... and Claud followed... five years later, so... eighty-six. Sorry, I forget she's actually five years younger than me. Because you're between Claudia and I... eighty-"

"-Three."

"No, babe. Eighty-five." He replied, softly shaking his head. She shifted, turning to face him, startled.

"That... that can't be right. I... I'm fairly certain I was born in eighty-three-" Zane gently pushed her forward, slipping out from behind her and going into the study. "Zane?" He came back minutes later with a manila folder. "What are those?"

"Birth certificates, social security numbers-" After several minutes, he pulled something out, handing it to her. "Yours." She glanced at him, setting the carton and spoon down and wiping her hands on the napkin he'd wrapped around the carton before taking the piece of paper. Her gaze darted to it and then darted back to him, brow furrowing.

"That... that can't be right..."

_This certifies that according to the records of the State of New Jersey_

_Name: Josephina Catherine Duarte Lupo_

_Sex: F_

_Was born in: Perth Amboy, Middlesex County, New Jersey, on September 12th, 1985_

_Child of: James Lupo and Caterina Duarte Lupo_

_Birthplace of Father: New Jersey_

_Birthplace of Mother: New York State_

Slowly, her gaze moved to meet Zane's as he handed her his. Her dark gaze darted to drink in details something inside her screamed that she knew so well but didn't remember.

_This certifies that according to the records of the State of Massachusetts_

_Name: Zane Matthew Donovan_

_Sex: M_

_Was born in: Boston, County, Massachusetts, on January 12th, 1981_

_Child of: Nathaniel Donovan and Theresa Balliaire Donovan_

_Birthplace of Father: Massachusetts_

_Birthplace of Mother: New York State_

"This... this doesn't make any sense, Zane... it... it says you're... four years older than me. That can't be right."

He kissed her head. "We'll talk to Ricco today; he said you might have some qualms about your age. Apparently you've always believed you were born in eighty-three, but it's not true."


	40. Chapter 40

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Yeah, there's no way she's wrapping this up in 24 chapters after this chapter... give me a bit, let me go look for the rest of it...- Licia

_Thirty-Two Weeks_

"What do you _mean_ I _wasn't_ born in _eighty-three?_ "

Jo hadn't been able to talk to Ricco about the issues with her birth certificate until the beginning of her thirty-second week. She and Zane- or rather, Zane- had had to deal with things a couple issues at GD, while Jo was stuck at home monitoring everything from her computer at home. Not that she couldn't handle being at work, but it was getting harder for her focus for the weight she was carrying. Her joints had continued to loosen and her hips had once again widened, and it was at that morning's check up that Allison told her that the baby was not quite in the vertex position- or the optimal position for birth, but since she still had eight weeks to go, there was nothing to worry about. Many babies shifted down to the birthing position in the next few weeks. So it was that early Monday evening when Tess and Ricco had come over with Michaela, making dinner as well, to spend time with Jo and Zane and the girls, since eight weeks would fly by quickly.

"Easy, Jojo. Calm-"

 _"Zane."_ He held up his hands in surrender, before leaning over and pressing a kiss to her head and then moving to fix coffee and tea for everyone. Ricco sighed, reaching out to take his little sister's hand.

"You _weren't_ born in eighty-three, Josie. _You_ were born in eighty-five." He glanced at Tess, who nodded; Jo noticed the silent conversation, and narrowed her gaze.

"What the _fuck_ do you two know?"

_"Josephina Catherine, language!"_

_"Empujarlo, Riccardo William!_ You _know_ something, _both_ you and Tessie do!" She swallowed thickly. "I don't like secrets, Ricci, you _know_ that!" Her older brother tugged her close, until they were sitting on the sofa in the living room after dinner. Tess and Zane shared a glance before joining them, the girls following. Michaela climbed into her mother's lap as Catie and her sisters settled on the floor by Jo's feet, not wanting to be too far away from their mother, but not wanting to crowd her either. Zane sat on Jo's other side, and Tessie held Michaela close as she sat in the armchair not far away. "Ricci, _what's going on?_ I can't remember _anything_ about my husband or children, and now you're telling me my entire childhood is a _lie? Are we even related?_ "

"Shh, easy, Jojo."

Ricco gently stroked the inside of her wrist, something he'd done ever since Jo was a little girl, to help calm her down. After several minutes, he spoke up. " _Of course_ we're related, Josie-Lou-Who. Have Doctor Blake run a DNA test if you don't believe we're related."

"I don't know _what_ to believe anymore, Ricci! I've got... false memories and snippets of memories that may not even be mine and... any number of... white noise in my head. Do you know what it's like having amnesia, while everyone around you remembers things about you that you don't? That everyone knows things about your relationship you don't remember? I..." She pulled away from him. "I'm feel like I'm stuck in that... that Drew Barrymore, Adam Sandler movie _Fifty First Dates_ \- and everyone's having to _constantly_ tell me _where_ I am, and _what_ I do, and _where_ I live and _who_ I live with and _who_ those girls and _who_ the man I wake up next to every morning is and-"

"Shh. Shh, easy, Jojo." Zane gently tucked his fingers beneath her chin, turning her to meet his gaze. He rested his forehead against hers, nuzzling her gently. "It's okay. It's okay. You're safe. I've got you." She choked on a sob, reaching up to take his hand in hers. Ricco and Tess watched as Zane gently brushed a soft kiss to her lips before nuzzling his nose against hers and kissing her forehead. "Slow, deep breath, Jojo. That's it, that's my Josephina."

They watched in silence as his touched helped ground her, as their famous sparked helped to ground them both; he took her other hand, resting it gently against her belly, and the feel of the baby kicking against their palms helped to calm her down. Of everyone, Ricco was perhaps the most glad that Jo was with Zane. He'd watched his baby sister's relationship with the young physicist develop from something purely physical into an early adventure in parenting, into a slowly burning romance that smouldered and then exploded in flame, resulting in his two younger nieces- and then, the arguments and disagreements every couple went through, but not once did one of them walk out with the intention to never return.

Despite their hot tempers, the arguments and cold shoulders, they always returned to one another; Zane's passiveness was always shoved to the side and Jo's aggressiveness was always tampered down the moment they were in the same room together, because try as they might, they _couldn't stay away from each other_. It was how they ended up with three children in the first place. Neither one knew how to keep their hands- or mouths- to themselves when in the same room, and they were often the butt of several good-natured jokes and sidelong looks from their small group of friends. But especially now, Ricco was glad they couldn't seem to keep their hands to themselves- because Zane's very touch worked to calm his sister down.

"You okay?" She nodded against his forehead. "You sure?" Another nod. "I'm right here; I'm not going anywhere. I've got you. I've got both of you." He slid his arms around her, holding her close, hands resting on her belly, stroking the stretching skin to calm their son. "And Tess and Ricco... we're all right here; we've got you. Promise." He pressed another soft kiss to her head, and after a moment, she nodded, meeting her brother's gaze. Ricco smiled softly at her, taking her hand and stroking the inside of her wrist as he began.

"You weren't the only daughter Mom and Dad had, Josie. There was a girl before you, in eighty-three, but... but Mom... something went wrong and she had a stillbirth around thirty-four weeks or so. I remember she named the baby Joanna. And then... they stopped trying for a while, and..." He shrugged. "Mom got pregnant in December of eighty-four and you were born in September eighty-five."

"Then why have I always thought I was born in eighty-three?"

Ricco sighed, swallowing thickly. "Because when you were about five, you found Joanna's birth certificate. And when you asked Mom about it, instead of her telling you the _truth_ , she lied to you."

_"Joanna is just a shorter way to spell Josephina, that's all my carina."_

_"It is?"_

_"Mhm."_

_"But I don't answer to it, Mama."_

_"That's because it's a very special spelling of your name."_

_"Special how?"_

_"Special as... special as... as it's so pretty, that only Daddy and I know how to spell it, but we only spell it when we need to. It's like... a fairy name. Fairies have their special, secret names and then the names everyone knows them by, right? Well, Joanna is your fairy name."_

"I... I remember that. She... she told me it was... my 'fairy' name; that only fairies have secret, special names and that only certain people are allowed to know." She met her brother's gaze. "Why didn't she tell me the truth, Ricci? At some point, she would have had to tell me the truth-"

"Because she died, Josie. She went in to the gynaecologist for an exam, and they found stage four uterine and stage two cervical cancer. Thank God she'd had you when she did, because if she hadn't," He stopped. "She told you that lie about fairy names on the fourteenth of October; I _remember_ that because it was my and Tessa's first date, and I came downstairs to find you sitting on her lap and her telling you about fairy names and secrets. I thought it was the most ridiculous thing, but I didn't think anything of it. She went in for that appointment the week after, and the by the first of November she was gone."

Jo felt Zane brush a soft kiss to her shoulder as he held her close. She remembered the story about fairies having two names, and how special she'd felt that her mother had told her she had a secret name and a known name, and now, to discover it was all a lie...

"She didn't last long, Josie. It took her quick; there was no hope for treatment, she didn't stand a chance. She was at the breakfast table on November first, I remember because I kissed her good morning, we all did."

_"Mama!"_

_She pulled her youngest into her arms, holding her tight. "Mi carina, Buenos Días. Give me a kiss." The boys watched as Jo planted a quick kiss on her mother's lips. "I love you."_

_"I love you, Mama."_

"You slid off her lap and she got up and went upstairs. And didn't come down again."

_"Rina, aren't you gonna eat?"_

_"I'm not really too hungry this morning, James. I'm just gonna go lie down for a bit. I'll come get something later." She kissed him sweetly before disappearing upstairs. "I love you."_

_"Daddy?"_

_"Leave her be, Ricco. When your Mama's hungry, she'll eat."_

Ricco swallowed thickly, meeting Jo's gaze. "She was _alive_ at breakfast time, and-"

"By lunchtime she was dead." Jo finished softly; her brother nodded.


	41. Chapter 41

"How're you doing, Jojo?"

She looked up, a tiny smile tugged at her lips as he slipped into bed beside her, pulling her close. His hand moved to cover hers as it rested on the crest of her belly, and they settled back in silence, watching the skin of her belly stretch with each movement. "I can't imagine what she went through. My mom." She clarified at Zane's look. He nodded. "Getting pregnant to only suffer a stillbirth... if I'd been in her shoes, I don't know that I'd want to try for another child after that, no matter how many years passed."

Zane pulled her close; pressing a kiss to her temple. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her against him, stroking his fingers over her belly, feeling their son shift and against his father's touch. Jo smiled softly; it warmed her heart, knowing that the baby responded to Zane as he did. _If that isn't evidence enough that he's absolutely going to be a Daddy's boy, I don't know what is._

"But you're not." She met his gaze. "You're not your mother. And your mother... she was _so strong_ to go through that, and still want to go through with another pregnancy, even though they had stopped trying by the time they had you. If that isn't strength, I really don't know what is. I don't know that I'd have had her strength, your strength, Jojo, because you _do_ have her strength. I know you do, and I never got to meet her."

She nuzzled against him, kissing him softly before meeting his gaze. Though she didn't remember him, everything- every blood cell, every nerve ending, every DNA strand, every individual fibre of her being- screamed that he wasn't just her partner, just her lover and the father of her children. It screamed in the depths of her forgotten memory that they belonged to each other; that they'd been destined for each other since the beginning of time itself. Oh, how she wished with all her heart that she could _remember_ -

He returned to peppering her with kisses; over her eyelids, her cheekbones, the bridge of her nose, the dip above her upper lip, along her jaw, down her neck and up to the space beneath her ear, the lobe, the shell, along her head, over her forehead, her hairline, between her eyes and over the tip of her nose, down below her lower lip and then down to the curve of her shoulder before returning to kiss away the soft pout on her lips. "I love you, Jojo." He brushed a kiss to her head. "I love our girls, I love our life and I love this baby."

She nuzzled against him. "Even if I never recover my memory?"

He met her gaze, his own sure and steady. "Even if you never recover your memory. I love you and I'll always love you."

 _"Zane!"_ He bolted upright to find himself alone in bed. _"Zane, hurry!"_

He was up and at the landing of the stairs in minutes. _"Jo! Is something wrong? I'll call Allison! We've only got eight weeks left-"_ He skidded to a stop, at the base of the stairs, unsure of what he was seeing. Jo stood before him, in a cherry red strapless party dress, black heels on her feet, her long black hair cascading down her back in glossy waves of silk, pinned back on one side with a familiar holly and berry barrette.

 _"Eight weeks left? Eight weeks left for_ what _? And call Allison? Um... no need, babe. Al, Carter and the kids are gonna be over in a few for the party, remember?"_ A look of annoyance crossed her face, and she crossed her arms over her chest. _"Babe, I know this project has been killing you, but you are_ not _helping me host this Christmas party in your pajamas, now, go, back upstairs. Go!"_

_"But Jo, Dorie-"_

_"What about Dorie?"_ She asked, turning him around and shoving him lightly towards the stairs, and it was then that Zane saw the Christmas decorations about the house.

_"Jo, you're pregnant-"_

_"Ah, no, I'm not."_ Laughter reached their ears, followed by a squeal. _"Theodore James,_ what _have I_ told you _about torturing your sisters!"_

_"But Mama-"_

Zane turned to see a little boy poke his head over the arm of the armchair. His messy black hair was as thick as Jo's, and her eyes stared at him from a heart-shaped face. He wore a nice pair of jeans and a dark green shirt, and there was a small freckle beneath his left eye that mirrored the one beneath his mother's right. _"That... that's not Dorie..."_

Jo raised an eyebrow as he turned to her. _"What do you mean that's not Dorie? Of course that's Dorie. He's our only son, remember? Because you couldn't see fit to give me nothing but girls. Now I know how my mom felt, being overrun by boys."_ She rolled her eyes, turning him back around and shoving him back towards the stairs. _"Now go! Change! Everyone will be here soon and I would like everyone in this chaotic household to be ready to celebrate, especially since it's our first time hosting the Christmas party."_

_"Wait first time-"_

_"Yeah. Usually Carter and Al host it, but you charmed them into letting us do it this year. Or, I should say, you charmed my best friend. Being able to charm your fiancée's best friend that easily should be illegal."_

He stopped, turning to her. _"Wait... did you say fiancée?"_

She turned him back around, walking him up the stairs to their room. "Yes _, babe. Fiancée."_ She reached up to feel his forehead, and he caught the sparkle of a familiar ring on her finger. _"And_ I'm _the one that's lived with amnesia these last eight years. You sure you're all right?"_ But before he could answer, a familiar voice called up to them from downstairs.

_"Mommy! Daddy! Auntie Allie and Uncle Jack just got here!"_

Zane turned to her. _"Elie?"_ Jo rolled her eyes.

 _"I swear, twenty-years-old, a junior at Ashland U's film program and that girl_ still _doesn't know the meaning of an inside voice."_ She turned back to him, kissing him quickly. _"I'll see you downstairs."_ She disappeared into the hall, leaving Zane in the bedroom to change. _"How many times do I have to tell you, Eleanora? Inside voice- find it, learn it, love it-"_

By the time he returned downstairs, the chaos had gotten somewhat under control, though there were three children he didn't recognize- all clear carbon copies of Jo. He caught sight of two young women who looked exactly like Jo only younger, chatting with Zoe and Kevin, and a girl he could only assume was Elie, giving Grace a hug. _"If_ that's _Elie, then those two must be... no. There's no way. That can't possibly be my Catie, because if that's Catie, then Annie's with her-"_

 _"Sweetheart, I know you like to run calculations in your head to calm yourself down, but there's no need to be muttering them to yourself during our Christmas party."_ He turned as she slipped an arm around his waist, a glass of wine in her hand. _"What? You look like you're seeing a ghost."_

He shook his head. _"Nothing, I just... it's overwhelming."_

 _"Mhm."_ She held the glass out and he accepted it, taking a sip. _"But I knew we could pull it off."_

He studied her; she still looked the same as she had this morning, just trimmer, much more slender, though he could clearly see the areas where baby weight had refused to leave. He found however that he didn't miss this version of her; perhaps it was because he'd been so used to watching her grow and change with each pregnancy... there was something almost warrior-like about her when she was pregnant. It just seemed to make her even more beautiful than she already was.

Something crashed, a squeal was heard, followed by a cry, pulling Zane from his study, and several people turned. _"All right, which one of your demons unleashed chaos this time?"_ Carter joked and Jo shot him a glare.

 _"Mommy!"_ Jo pulled away from Zane, kneeling down to scoop a little girl into her arms as Dorie and a little girl came racing into the living room from the study. _"Tressie hit Dorie!"_

Zane turned to her. _"Tressie? Who's Tressie?"_ But before she could respond, he felt himself being pulled away from her. He bolted upright, shaking and in a cold sweat, gaze frantically searching for something that told him he was back in the real world. His gaze landed on Jo, curled up on her left side, a pillow between her legs, one hand resting on her belly, sound asleep beside him, and he sighed in relief. "Oh thank God." He scooted closer to her, melding around her, brushing her hair from her shoulder and kissing her shoulder before brushing a kiss to her head, reaching out to cover the hand resting on her belly with his. "I love you. I love you both, so, so much."


	42. Chapter 42

_Tressie._

He'd never even _heard_ that name before. And there was no name in the English language it was short for. Not that he could find anyway.

After several minutes, he sat back, setting the data pad down with a sigh. It was rare that the house was so quiet now, especially considering that in eight weeks, quiet wouldn't exist. Anna was spending time with Jo upstairs as she'd taken to doing, and Cate and Ela were chasing each other around the backyard. Unlike Anna, their oldest and youngest daughters had so much energy, they just had to run it off.

Zane had woken up early, slipping out of bed so as not to wake Jo. After a quick shower, he'd slipped downstairs and started breakfast; each of the girls had wandered in eventually, sleepy and still in their pajamas. After half an hour, Jo had wandered in, yawning and rubbing the sleep from her eyes, hands on her lower back. He went to her, kissing her quickly and lovingly on the mouth before they all sat down to breakfast. Over French toast and scrambled eggs, he'd watched his girls, catching Jo's eye on occasion. After breakfast, the girls had gotten dressed and Jo had gone back upstairs to take a shower, and Zane had gone into the study to get some work done. His work had fallen to the wayside however, because the dream kept coming back, and those three little girls, that little boy and that name.

Tressie.

He'd finally grabbed one of Jo's empty journals- she had two boxes left of empty journals; he would have to get her more on his next trip to Portland next week, and the box of journals that had gone missing he would collect after the first of December, and by then, everyone would have had a chance to write in them- and a pen and began jotting things down.

_Catie, Annie, Elie, Dorie, Tressie?_

Clearly, according to his dream, they'd had more than the four children they would have once the baby was born.

_"You couldn't see fit to give me nothing but girls."_

Did that mean they would have another girl after their son was born? There were at least two other girls that he'd seen in that dream- one of them of which Jo had scooped into her arms before he'd woken up. It gave him a headache. After a moment, he shut the journal and slipped it into a desk drawer before getting up, going into the kitchen as Jo came downstairs with Annie. He watched as Jo took a seat on the sofa and Annie climbed up beside her, curling into her mother's side. Jo took the book Annie had brought downstairs from her room, and after a moment, Jo turned to her middle daughter. "Not a different one? Not _Anne of Green Gables_ or _Secret Garden_?"

"Please, Mama?" Jo bit her lip.

"Okay." A moment passed, as Jo struggled to get comfortable, stretching out on the sofa, as Anna stretched out beside her. Jo then opened the book, wrapping the arm closest to the back of the sofa around her middle daughter, resting her hand on her belly. _"'Once upon a time in Spain, there was a little bull and his name was Ferdinand.'"_ Zane made his way to the living room, leaning against the doorway to the study, watching his wife read the children's story to his middle daughter. _"'_ All _the other little bulls he lived with would run and jump and butt their heads together, but not Ferdinand.'"_

He watched as Anna turned the pages in the book before snuggling back down against her mother's breast; her small fingers sneaking down to lay her hand against her mother's belly. After a moment, Jo reached up, laying her hand over her daughter's, thumb gently stroking her daughter's knuckles. In a matter of minutes, Anna was out like a light, curled up against her mother, and Jo gently closed the book. Zane pushed away from the doorframe, going to them. He knelt beside her. "Here, let me put-"

"No, it's okay." Jo turned to watch their daughter. "Leave her. There won't be many moments where I'll be able to cuddle with her, or any of our other girls, like this after her brother's born. Let me enjoy this while I still can."

"Okay." He leaned over, kissing her sweetly before standing and going into the kitchen, though something made him turn back and go into the study. He came back five minutes later, taking a couple photographs- managing to capture the image of Jo lovingly kissing Annie's forehead. He planned on definitely adding the photograph to the others on his desk at work. He returned the camera to the study, planning on going out to the studio in the backyard to develop them later; when he returned, Jo had also fallen asleep. After a moment, he grabbed the throw off the back of the sofa and draped it over his girls.

Squealing reached his ears and he turned as Catie and Elie dashed into the house from the backyard. " _Shh! Girls, inside voices!_ " They stopped, moving closer to see their sister curled up on the sofa beside their mother, both sound asleep. "Come on girls, go wash up. You two can help AIDA and I make dinner."

Later that night, after dinner, after they put the girls to bed and went to bed themselves, Zane found himself standing in the nursery. A moment passed before he went to the rocking chair and took a seat. This rocking chair had been in the Balliarie family for generations, and it had last been in Elie's nursery eight years earlier. He remembered rocking Catie to sleep at night so that Jo could get a couple extra hours of sleep, and Annie, and Elie as well... A soft sigh escaped him, and he closed his eyes, letting himself relax.

_"Daddy? Daddy!"_

He darted awake, sitting up, to find himself still in the rocking chair. _"What?"_ The child climbed into his lap, snuggling close, and he turned to study them. He was a beautiful little boy with long black hair, and Jo's caramel eyes. _"Dorie?"_

The child, who looked to be not much older than maybe four or five. _"I don't want you to go!"_ The boy threw his arms around Zane, and he started, surprised.

_"Go where? Hey, talk to me, little man. Where do you think I'm going?"_

_"Mommy says you're going with Auntie Grace and Uncle Doug to the Astrasus."_

_"Astrasus?"_ The boy nodded.

_"It's Astreaus, baby boy."_ He looked up, to see Jo leaning against the door jam. She pushed herself away from it, making her way over to them. _"Daddy's going on the Astreaus mission, which means he'll be gone for six months. But, that also means he'll be back in a month before the baby's born, so he'll be there when your little sister is born."_

_"Little sister?"_ Jo nodded, reaching down and resting her hands on the swell he could now see before her.

"Zane? Zane?" He jolted awake, to find Jo leaning against the doorway of the nursery. She made her way over to him, gently brushing her fingers over his forehead. "I woke up and you weren't there. Come back to bed, sweetheart." He stood, going to her. His arm went around her, hand moving to rest on her belly as they left the nursery, returning to their room.


	43. Chapter 43

_Thirty-Four Weeks_

"Why is Mommy getting a shot? Does she have the flu?"

"It's the Tdap vaccination, Elie-bean." Allison replied, finishing with the shot before having Jo lie back so she could examine her. "It helps protect your mommy against the whooping cough." She gently pushed Jo's shirt up and moved to check the fundal height before moving to feel her uterus. "He's head down."

"Is that good, Auntie Allie?" Elie asked, as Catie and Annie rolled their eyes. Allison chuckled softly, as she moved to pull up the ultrasound, tugging Jo's shirt down and gently rubbing the bottom of the machine to warm it before resting it against Jo's belly.

"That's very, very good, Elie. It means that he's moving into the position that he's going to be born in in six weeks." She stopped, thinking. "I think he might be cephalic posterior and not cephalic, which means he's facing Mommy's tummy and not her back. It's still possible for her to have a vaginal delivery, but it would be more painful. Though, there _is_ still time for him to shift to face Mommy's back, we do still have six weeks until he's born."

Later that afternoon, Allison met Jo at Cafe Diem for lunch, as usual. "Sorry I'm late."

"No worries." They spent the first half of the time talking about the usual things, before Allison finally asked,

"How are you doing, memory-wise?"

The Security Director shrugged, setting her cup down. "It's like... the girls will do or say something that I'm supposed to remember and I just don't. And when I apologize for not remembering, they look so hurt and disappointed," She reached up, quickly brushing at the tears as Allison took her hand. "And then they lie and tell me, 'It's okay, Mommy.' or 'You'll remember eventually, Mommy.' or 'Don't worry, Mommy, it's not a big deal,' but I know it's a huge deal to them. And I don't know how to make it better, because I can't remember." She sniffled. "I... I feel like I'm living in a bad Hollywood movie and... I don't know if the outcome is good or bad because I can't see the ending."

"Oh, Jo."

"And Zane... he tries _so hard_. So, so hard to make it easier on me, and he writes down things in my journals, little notes and reminders and... and he tells me things that I need to know and then explains why they're important." She pulled the journal she'd been working on filling out of her bag, opening it to a certain page and then handed it to Allison. "I found that, written in it this morning."

Allison let her gaze skim over the words, a tiny smile flitting across her face at his words.

_'It's tradition that we make the girls' birthday cakes, but we also make cupcakes-and wake them up at the time they were born so they can blow out the candles on the cupcakes; the cake is always for after dinner. Catie loves spice cake, but can't have it because my mom's recipe has ginger in it, so we use clove and cinnamon instead. She's never noticed the difference. It's the best kept secret in that house.'_

"That's sweet." She moved to hand the journal back, when small, carefully written handwriting caught her attention.

_'We always watch_ Hocus Pocus _on Halloween, after trick or treating, Mommy. And you and Daddy always dress up with us, but you might not want to this year because of the baby. That's okay. You can always dress up with us next year, and then Dorie can too. Love, Anna'_

"Sounds like someone misses you." Allison handed Jo the journal, pointing her to the little message. Jo smiled softly, reaching up to brush at the tears on her cheeks.

"Annie... Zane always says she's the most like me, and I can see it. The more time I spend with her, the more evident it is that she's mine. I mean... I know, they're all mine, but... but Annie just feels... she feels special, you know?"

"Like she's the one that was meant to be like you, in how she acts, how she speaks, what she says, what she does. She's yours in ways that she isn't Zane's. I get it, Jo. I fully get it. Jenna's mine. She's always been mine, in the same way Annie's yours. And it doesn't mean you're betraying Catie or Elie by being closer to Annie, it just is. Though something tells me Catie is Zane's thru and thru. She's exactly like him in personality, and Elie... I think she's a mix of you both."

"That child doesn't understand the meaning of an 'inside voice' and believe me, I've tried teaching her. She hasn't grasped it yet." Allison laughed.

"Don't worry, Jo. She'll grasp it once the baby's born and she goes through her first sleepless night with her new brother." They settled into silence for several minutes, before Allison asked, "Has anything new cropped up?" She tapped her temple at Jo's confused look, and after a moment, the Security Director sighed.

"It-"

"Take your time, Jo. No rush."

Silence settled, and Jo reached down, gently stroking her belly. The baby shifted, and she rubbed her belly, humming softly. "It's funny. I'll hear Zane's voice, or... even weirder, _my_ voice... but not like it's in my head. Like it's right beside me. And... and I'll turn around, but he won't be there. And it's usually something I've never heard of. Like... last week, it..." She took a deep breath, releasing it slowly to get her thoughts in order. "it sounded like we'd had an argument, Zane and I. Or... or like we weren't speaking to each other. Or... like I wasn't speaking to him."

"Do you remember it?"

Jo grabbed her journal, quickly flipping through the pages and handing it to Allison, who glanced at her friend and then took it. _"'... you eat yet? I was thinking maybe we could grab a bite?'"_

The Security Director nodded at her friend's incredulous look. "Mhm."

_"'A bite. Well we wouldn't want-'"_

_"'-you to commit to a whole meal.'"_ She swallowed as Allison continued.

_"'You got somethin' to say?'"_ The good doctor swallowed. _"'I already did. And-'"_

_"'- you couldn't handle it.'"_ Allison closed the book and handed it back to Jo. "I've read it so many times, I can _recite_ it now, but I don't know what it's from or what caused it or _who_ said it, but it was _definitely_ Zane and I. But it _wasn't_ _us_." She set the journal aside. "Al, what if I'm going crazy?"

"Oh, honey, you're not going crazy."

"You don't _know_ that. No one knows what amnesia _truly_ does to a person besides wiping out their memories! Al, I feel like I'm going nuts! I... I just... I just...I just get... get glimpses-"


	44. Chapter 44

"- Of who she used to be-"

Zane sighed, sitting back in the chair across from Carter's desk. He'd picked up lunch, stopping by the sheriff's office to talk; he'd already spoken with Henry, who'd given him the same advice he always gave- _"Be patient with her, Zane. It's going to be a long road for her to get her memory back, if she's even able to get her memory back. She could also not get her memory back, and you need to be prepared for that possibility."_ \- before sending him to see Carter. The sheriff listened, seeing the weight settled on his friend's shoulders.

Carter couldn't say that he and Zane were the best of friends; he knew that Jo and Allison were best friends, and had been since they had met, but they were good enough friends that Zane could come to him if he needed to talk. And in the last few months, he and Zane had been talking more and more; he'd seen the stress and worry in the younger man's blue eyes, and knew that a portion of it was the pregnancy- not that something would go wrong, Jo was healthy and so was the baby, but just the general stresses of pregnancy that always wore down a father-to-be, whether it was his first child or his last.

"Glimpses?"

A moment passed before Zane spoke, as though he were trying to find the right words. "She'll do something or say something that she used to do, and for the briefest of moments, it's like she's the woman I fell in love with all over again. I... I can recognize her and see her as she was, before the accident, and then-"

"No need to rush, Zane."

The Section Five Director bit his lip. "A couple months ago, she was doing something that she used to do when she was pregnant with _Catie_ \- each time the baby kicked, she would tap her foot, and when the baby shifted, Jo would follow with her fingers and repeat it. There isn't even a name for it, it was a game she started to play with Catie, and then she played it with Annie and played it with Elie and... and then she played it with the baby and... and for the briefest of moments, she was back. She was _my_ Jo. And then..." He shrugged. "And then it passed, and the woman I knew was gone. And it's been happening a lot."

"I don't know, Zane. Maybe it's her memory slowly returning? Or maybe it's the amnesia, no one really knows."

The younger man sighed, wrapping his hands around his coffee cup, becoming lost in thought. He was tired, almost exhausted from the looks of things. There were circles beneath his eyes- Carter recognized the look of an exhausted father-to-be, meaning that Jo's constant ups and downs during the night were keeping him up as well- and the grey peppering his black hair a little bit more- and he was only two and a half months shy from turning forty.

Zane had his issues, but he worked through them; and he and Jo... they were wonderful together. They were strong together, two of the best people to have in your corner if you needed, and partners in more way than one. They were good parents, who put their children first, whose focus was making sure their girls understood that they were loved, that they knew what it was like to have both parents- something they themselves had never had- and that drove them both to work through the bad times instead of walking away, that their girls understood right from wrong- even if Zane himself straddled the line when the occasion called for it.

Carter knew they had forgone marriage because they hadn't wanted to rush into; they hadn't wanted to be _that_ couple- that couple that got married _only_ because they'd gotten pregnant and it was the 'right thing to do'. They had chosen to wait, getting to know each other as their daughter grew inside her, building a bond stronger than any either had ever thought possible. And when Cate _had_ been born, they'd weighed their options, pushing any talk of marriage back again, until Catie was old enough... but by then, Annie was growing inside Jo's belly, and their attention had turned from possible marriage to adapting to raising two little girls.

And just when it seemed like they could _actually_ discuss the possibility of marriage, Elie had made her presence known, and they'd pushed it back, once more putting the thought of marriage on the backburner. At some point in the last eight years, they could have discussed it, but life once more got in the way; the craziness that was Eureka taking hold, the chaos that was parenthood raising three girls under the age of ten, and now with the baby on the way and her accident and amnesia, there was no way they were looking at marriage now.

"She'll say something or do something that... that was something she'd done when the girls were little or that we used to do together or something we used to talk about and... and for the briefest of moments, it's like the accident never happened. It's like we're starting all over again, like when we first met. We're getting to know each other again, like I'm getting to know what she likes, what makes her happy, what upsets her, what makes her laugh... I feel like we're teenagers again, getting to know each other for the first time. Again, they're just... _glimpses_ of who she used to be..."

Carter chuckled. He knew that both Jo and Zane had never really had normal childhoods. Jo had spent her childhood chasing after her brothers, moving base to base with her brothers and father, and Zane had spent his childhood with his younger sister, living in a crumbling family home while their mother worked to raise them in a semi-stable home. They weren't necessarily broken nor damaged, but the abandonment by a parent- either by choice or by death- both had felt growing up had just caused them to turn to each other when they got together and decide to raise their children to know what it was like to grow up loved with both parents in the picture instead of one.

"Oh, Zane."

The younger man swallowed thickly, trying to keep the tears pricking at his eyes at bay. "... and then they're gone."


	45. Chapter 45

The bell above the door jingled, and both women looked up as Zane and Carter came into the café. Allison watched as Jo seemed to calm immediately; Zane grinned, hands in the pockets of his jeans as he meandered over, Carter following, a cup of coffee and a maple bar in his grasp. Jo's shoulders relaxed and she beamed at Zane; he rested a hand on the back of her chair, leaning down to meet her gaze. "How are you feeling, my love?"

_She grabbed his shirt, pulling him close and sliding her arms around his waist. "How are you feeling?"_

She hummed softly, thinking, casting a quick glance at Allison and Carter before turning back to him. "You tell me." Their lips met in a soft, searching kiss that briefly turned heated. She met his gaze as he rested his forehead to hers. "Any sparks?"

_The kiss was deep, searching. "Any sparks?"_

He thought a moment, screwing his mouth up briefly, shaking his head. "Nope." She rolled her eyes, and he chuckled, kissing her again, slowly breaking the kiss after several minutes. "Just the good kind."

_She thought a moment, nibbling on her lower lip. "No. Just the good kind."_

Confusion clouded her gaze, but Zane didn't notice, and it was gone by the time he brushed a kiss to her forehead. "You okay?"

"Yeah. I just have to go to the bathroom. He's pushing on my bladder." She nudged her nose against his as he stepped back, taking her hands. A moment passed before she finally stood, releasing a slow breath. She rested her hands on her back, meeting his gaze. He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close and kissing her temple. "Be right back."

Zane chuckled softly as she made her way to the bathroom; this being her fourth pregnancy, she had started waddling around twenty-six weeks or so, and as the weeks went by, it became even more pronounced; it was actually quite adorable, but Zane knew if he told Jo that, she'd merely narrow her eyes and tell him to stop making excuses.

"Zane?" The Section Five Director looked up as Doctor Leonardo came over to their table; the bespectacled dendrological geneticist held out several journals that Zane recognized as Jo's, and for the briefest of moments, he wondered why Doctor Leonardo had them, before remembering what he'd done a couple months prior.

"Hey Maria." She held out the journals. Carter and Allison watched as Zane took each, skimming through them before setting them down. "This is perfect. You finished them? All of them?"

"The Botany Department finished it this morning, and Doctor Fargo brought the one from the Robotics Department as well; we also collected the journal those in Lab Twenty-Seven filled out, and the journal from the N.E.A.T. Lab." He quickly thumbed through each, skimming over the stories, antidotes, bits of advice and memories written within, smiling softly before looking up at the other woman.

"This is great, Maria. Thank you so much." The other woman nodded and left; Zane glanced at Allison and Carter.

"So how many boxes _did_ you bring into GD, Zane?" Allison asked, as Carter chuckled. Henry had looked at Zane like he'd lost his mind when he'd brought a box of blank journals into his office, but had immediately understood when he'd explained what he wanted to do with them. And so Henry had allowed Zane to give each of the sections and departments a couple journals so they could write down memories for Jo.

"Three. One I took when I went in early one morning; I'm fairly certain Jo noticed that one's missing; the other two I dropped off before going back to the house. There were enough for all the departments at GD as well as each of the Directors." He nodded to Allison.

"Zane brought ours by today when he brought lunch." Carter replied, holding up a small stack. "One for each of us, as well as one for Zoe, Kevin and Jenna to fill."

"I dropped a few off at Cafe Diem and swore Vincent to secrecy-"

"Like that's gonna work." Carter cut in. Zane raised an eyebrow.

"You'd be surprised." The other two turned to find Vincent watching them; the tubby chef nodded to Zane before turning back to fill an order.

"What'd you do to convince him?" Allison asked.

"I may have said something about removing the hard drives in the computers that catalogue everything in his walk-in fridge and replacing them with one that only play vintage video games if I found out he let slip what I'd been planning and Jo got wind of it." Allison laughed as Carter's gaze widened in shock.

"That's... diabolical."

" _That's_ how serious I'm taking this project." Before he could forget, he slipped the journals into the messenger bag he'd thought to grab that morning before leaving for work.

"Why are you going to all this trouble for Jo? I... I get that it's Jo, Zane, but-"

"Because she deserves it, Carter. She deserves to understand how much she means to everyone, to this entire town. If Allison was going through this, wouldn't you do the same thing to help her try and remember?"

Carter raised an eyebrow. "Of course I would, Zane. But she doesn't have an issue remembering everyone else or even the town. Just you and the girls."

"And we're filling up her journals with stories and memories as fast as we can, but on the off-chance that something goes wrong, knock on wood that it doesn't," He rapped smartly on the table and Allison chuckled. "but on the off-chance it does, because this is _Eureka_ and _what_ doesn't go wrong in this God-forsaken town- and she loses the memories of this town and everyone in it, I want her to be able to go through these journals and read what everyone wrote, and know that she's loved, no matter what happens."

The older woman reached out, gently brushing away the tears Zane had tried so hard to keep at bay for so long. "Zane, that's wonderful. No one can say you don't love Jo."

"Everything okay?" The three turned to find Jo standing beside Zane, hands on her lower back, concern in her caramel gaze.

He smiled at her. "Fine. Just... Allison asked me if it's kicked in yet that our son will be here in six weeks, and I told her that it kind of kicked in today." Carter helped her into the chair, and she met Zane's gaze.

"It does seem to be getting more real, doesn't it?" He met her gaze with a quick smile, and she reached up, gently cradling his face in her hands with a soft smile tugging at her lips. "You're already a wonderful father to our girls; you're going to be even more wonderful with our boy."


	46. Chapter 46

_Thirty-Six Weeks_

She was so uncomfortable.

That was nothing new, she had to remind herself. With four weeks left before the baby came, Jo found herself eating more frequently, but her meals were smaller, and she'd come downstairs that morning realizing she could breathe easier, but that there was also a lot of vaginal pressure and discomfort. "It feels like I'm carrying a pumpkin between my legs."

"That's normal." Jo shifted, letting out a groan of annoyance as Tess laughed, getting up and joining her sister-in-law on the sofa. The strawberry-blonde had come over to visit with her sister-in-law, bringing over a pan of lasagne that Jo recognized as Mrs. Fontana's famous baked lasagne bell peppers that she'd put in the freezer- _"for when you and Zane don't feel like cooking after baby Dorie's born."_ \- and then made tea for the two women, before settling beside her sister on the sofa. "When I was pregnant with Mickey, it was like I was carrying a bowling ball for two weeks."

Jo nodded; Tess had told her that she had developed pre-eclampsia towards the end of her pregnancy. She'd given birth to Mickey at thirty-eight weeks, which wasn't bad, and she was a perfectly healthy little girl who drove her parents up the wall. "Well, hopefully this little one will stay inside for the next four weeks." She sighed, tugging the tunic she wore up and trailing her fingers over the stretched skin of her belly. "It doesn't feel like it's going to be possible for me to grow anymore in the next four weeks."

Tess snorted softly. "I know you don't remember the first three, but you went all the way to forty weeks with each of the girls- well, with Catie and Annie. With Elie-bean, you went I think two days overdue, but still." Jo shook her head with a sigh. "Just try not to stress over it and you'll be fine. It's natural, what you're going to go through in four weeks. Perfectly natural. Painful, but natural."

Jo rolled her eyes. " _Thanks_ , Tessie."

The strawberry-blonde grinned, reaching up to brush a wayward strand of hair from Jo's cheek. "I do what I can." They talked about everything and nothing, sharing memories of growing up in Perth A, figuring out which of Jo's memories of growing up in Perth A were real and which were false, and working on a few last minute things for the baby's room- mainly folding clothes and getting the last of Jo's affairs in order before she went on maternity leave in a week and a half- given that Allison was allowing her to work up until the start of her thirty-eighth week of pregnancy.

"You excited?"

"About having a boy after three girls? Or about having another baby in general?"

Tess shrugged. "Both."

Jo finished folding the light green and brown crochet blanket Caitlan Hertz had sent her, gently smoothing the material. It had taken Hertz four days to crochet the blanket- surprisingly, she'd been able to get it done when she had time; in between shifts, on her days off, in the hours before she went to bed, in the hours before she started her shift, and everyone she was stationed with knew about the baby boy one of her best friends was having. When she had run out of yarn, the others she was stationed with had bought her more so she could finish it, and when she'd packaged it to be sent, those in her squadron had put in stuffed animals they'd bought at little shops, as well as other things for the baby- including a stuffed bear in a sailor's uniform.

It was one of the most precious gifts Jo had opened that day; Tam and Gwen had merely glanced at the blanket and shared a look. They'd been under strict orders by Hertz not to tell Jo, just in case she hadn't finished it on time. And when Jo had found the stuffed animals and trinkets for the baby from the rest of her squadron, she had just about burst into tears, because as children, they four girls had promised each other that they would not only be in each others' weddings, but at each others' baby showers, one way or another.

She sighed. "I... I'm nervous. I mean... yes, I'm excited to have a boy. I love the girls, but, I always wanted a boy. And... a part of me is excited about having... a baby." She amended carefully, and Tess had to remind herself that for Jo, in her damaged, amnesiac mind, this was her first baby, not her fourth. "But... I'm also scared. I don't remember having the girls, and no matter how many times Zane tells me about their births..." She shrugged. "I got nothin'. It's completely blank." She turned to her sister-in-law. "Is it as painful as I've been told? Honestly, Tessie."

The older woman bit her lip, before meeting Jo's gaze. "Honestly?" Jo nodded. "I think enduring a caesarean was worse than if I'd given birth to Mickey vaginally, because they're cutting into you, and you _feel_ it, all of it, and it's painful- at least it was to me. You were lucky, Phina, you got to deliver your girls vaginally. I would have taken that over surgery any day. Not that Allison's a bad doctor- she'd phenomenal at what she does, but if I'd had my druthers, I'd have gone through it all naturally if I could have. It's a much more... relaxing process than through a c-section."

"Relaxing? Tessie, are you insane? From what Zane told me, it was nothing but pain, absolute pain."

"Maybe so, but Phina, you can tap into that."

Jo shifted, sitting up and settling back with a sigh, hands resting on her belly as she set the blanket aside. "And how would I do that?"

Tess grinned at her. Though she worked at Tesla teaching Introduction to Psychology courses as part of a 'jump start-like' pre-college program, she, like Jo, had gone into Psychology- only _her_ field of study was closer to the work of Masters and Johnson than Adler and Jung. She took her sister-in-law's hand, squeezing gently. A moment passed before she spoke up. "Have you ever heard of... orgasmic birth?"

Jo furrowed a brow. "Orgasmic as in... orgasms like... similar to..."

She patted the younger woman's hand. "I'll pull the books I have for you on the subject."


	47. Chapter 47

A _couple_ books.

Tessie had told her that Monday afternoon that she had a "couple" books she could give Jo to read about orgasmic and natural birth to help her better understand and accept what her body would be going through in four weeks' time. But the stack of books the strawberry blonde set out on the coffee table that Wednesday afternoon did not consist of a 'couple' books.

It consisted of roughly fifteen.

Jo let her gaze wander over the titles on the spines- _Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering: A Doctor's Guide to Natural Childbirth and Gentle Early Parenting Choices, Birthing from Within: An Extra-Ordinary Guide to Childbirth Preparation, Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, Nurture- A Modern Guide to Pregnancy, Birth, Early Motherhood- and Trusting Yourself and Your Body, Active Birth: The New Approach to Giving Birth Naturally_... and the titles just went on and on. She picked up the top book, gaze moving over the title.

_Orgasmic Birth: Your Guide to a Safe, Satisfying, and Pleasurable Birth Experience_

"Um... _Tessie_?"

"Yeah, Phina?"

Jo met her sister-in-law's gaze. "I thought you said a _couple_ books-"

"I did. And then I realized that some of these might be useful or, at least helpful, or... at least _help_ ease your mind about giving birth. You don't have to read all of them, I just... wanted you to have... a bit of variety to choose from." Jo blushed, but wrapped her sister in a hug anyway.

That night, she struggled to get comfortable among the pillows she was propped up against, for her belly was in the way, and though she could breathe easier, it meant she was up every five minutes to empty her bladder because the baby was settled into her pelvis- and she didn't need Allison to examine her to tell her. She could feel it; the weight was similar to a pumpkin settling between her legs. Though Allison had told her at her appointment that morning that he'd partially engaged, and her cervix was starting to soften; not uncommon for women who'd had babies before. By thirty-eight weeks, he should have been fully engaged and nestled comfortably- for him, not necessarily for Jo- within her cervix, waiting for the moment that he would be born.

It took all Jo had to remind herself that this was almost over; she was in the home stretch, and had only four weeks left. _Four weeks_ , and then the little boy they had all eagerly awaited would be here, out in the world and in their arms, and his sisters would dote on him even more than they did now while he was in the womb, and he would wrap Zane around his tiny fingers- even more than he was already, though Zane would never admit it- and she would fall even more in love with the son she had only ever seen in ultrasounds, but had felt shift and move and grow within her.

Yes, there was no arrival more anticipated than the newest baby Donovan- not even Jenna Stark was as highly anticipated, or so Al had said.

Perhaps it was because for _three years_ she and Zane had created nothing but girls, and it was about time they created a son. Perhaps it was that they had pushed back discussing marriage and discussing marriage and discussing marriage, in favor of raising their daughters in a loving, stable household; something they themselves had never had. Or perhaps it was because while his start in life, within her, hadn't been rocky, his mother's had- and with her memory wiped clean from the accident, this was the one strand of hope the town was holding onto, that could bring her memory back. Jo failed to see how the birth of a baby would bring back twelve years of memories, but stranger things had happened.

"Well don't you look cosy." She looked up as Zane came into their room, peeling off his jacket and tossing it lightly aside. "Baby gonna keep you up again?" He asked, going to her side of the bed and leaning down to peck her.

"I've dropped, and he's on my bladder, which means I'm going to have to get up probably every five minutes. Not to mention it feels like I'm carrying a pumpkin between my legs-" She laughed at the look that crossed Zane's face. "I'm sorry, honey, did I ruin Halloween for you?"

"No, not me. Just don't tell the girls that- God knows the questions we'll get."

She snorted softly, watching as her husband worked on getting undressed and ready for bed before going back to her book. Though she couldn't help sneaking glances at him every once and a while, silently enjoying the way the muscles of his back rippled as he moved. She let her gaze rove over the freckles on his back, before forcing herself to return to her book. _How did I get so lucky?_

"What are you reading?" She looked up as he climbed into bed beside her, reaching for the book, and she gave it. Marking her place, he closed it quickly to skim the cover. " _'Orgasmic Birth_ '?" His eyebrows rose. "I... didn't know birth could _be_ orgasmic." He handed the book back to her.

"Neither did I. Tessie leant it to me. She said it might help me feel a bit better about giving birth."

"Ah." He pursed his lips, thinking. Jo lowered the book with an exasperated sigh.

"What?"

Zane shook his head. "Nothing, just... wasn't aware that orgasms and birth were a _thing_." Jo raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"The chemicals released in the brain during intercourse are the same chemicals that are released during childbirth; the only difference is one is tapped into during an act of pleasure but not necessarily tapped into during an act of pain, but they _can_ be." She waved the book at him. He reached over, lowering it. "Hey-"

"Well, _Doctor_ Lupo," She froze briefly, but Zane didn't notice.

_"What exactly do you plan on doing to me, Dr. Lupo?"_

She shook her head, the memory fading, and smiled at him. "You're the first person to really call me that." She met his gaze, and he smiled softly at her. "I don't think many people realize I actually have a Doctorate in Psychology." A moment passed before he reached up to caress her cheek.

"You are the one that surprises them, Jojo, and that's the _best_ person to be, especially because a lot of people- especially in this town- don't expect it." He kissed her softly, and she gave into the kiss, deepening it as much as she could before she felt the baby shift and pulled away. A sheepish look crossed her face and she bit her lip, apologetically.

"Sorry. I'll be right back, just have to go to the bathroom. Again."

Zane rolled his eyes and groaned in mock annoyance but let her go. "Four weeks, you know!"

"I know!"

Once the bathroom door shut behind her, he flopped back onto the pillows of their bed, picking up the book and studying the cover for several minutes before flipping through the pages, keeping Jo's place marked. He chuckled softly, setting the book aside.


	48. Chapter 48

She had never felt such pain before. _"Zane, I can't do this! I can't! I can't have this baby!"_

_"Shh, easy, Jojo. It's just our daughter. That's all, and you're going to do amazing-"_

_"Zane, I can't-"_

She jolted awake, letting out a scream that woke Zane and the girls. She threw back the blankets, hands going to her belly as the girls stumbled into the bedroom, awoken by their mother's screams. "Jo! Jojo! _Sweetheart, wake up!_ "

After several minutes, she looked up, to see Zane and the girls gathered around her, all looking worried. She forced herself to take several deep breaths, her hands going down to her belly. The baby shifted, and it seemed to remind her that she wasn't in labor, that she wasn't giving birth, that she still had four weeks left. "Zane?"

"Shh. It's okay, Jojo. I'm here. We're all here."

She now saw that Catie and Annie had climbed onto the bed with her; Elie stood by her bedside, holding her stuffed panda. "I... I'm sorry, babies. I didn't mean to scare you all."

"Another dream?" Zane asked softly, glancing at Ela as Jo nodded. "Elie, can you get Mommy a glass of water, please?" The girl nodded, hurrying from the room. Once the girl was gone, Jo turned back to her two oldest daughters. "Catie or Elie?"

"What?"

"Catie's birth or Elie's?" Jo swallowed, meeting Zane's gaze.

"We were here, but... but it wasn't Annie."

"Catie." Zane whispered, gently brushed her bangs off her face. He glanced at the girl in question. "Our little maelstrom was born at home, like Annie. Elie was born at the cabin."

They looked up as Ela came back with a glass of water for her mother. "Here, Mommy." She smiled softly at her youngest daughter, accepting the glass with a soft smile. Cate and Anna shared a worried look, as Zane gently stroked her hair. A moment passed before the twelve-year-old reached out, gently patting her mother's cheeks in that way she had done when Jo was in labor with her little sister.

"It's okay, Mommy." Jo nodded, kissing Catie quickly on the lips before doing the same to Annie. Eli rose onto her toes, brushing a kiss to her mother's cheek before climbing onto the bed. Zane scooted over as Jo joined him; Ela snuggled into one side of her and Anna the other side, as Cate burrowed into her father's side. With her girls on either side of her and the man she loved and who loved her in bed, she was able to calm down. Ela held out her panda.

"You can sleep with Mr. Monkey if you want to, Mommy. He always helps keep my nightmares away." Jo took the panda, studying it briefly before handing it back.

"Thank you, Elie-bean, but I think I'll have an easier time without nightmares if my babies are here with me. If that's okay with Daddy." She met Zane's gaze, and he leaned over, kissing her sweetly.

"It's perfectly fine with me, _Mommy_." Zane chuckled softly as Jo blushed, burying her face in Anna's messy braids. From everything she could work out, neither she nor Zane were the type of couple that referred to each other as 'Mommy' and 'Daddy' when around their kids- except in instances like this, or whenever one of them got hurt, from what the girls had told her. She glanced down at her daughters, before pulling Anna and Ela close.

"We can stay with you tonight, Mommy?" She nodded at Anna's question as Zane pulled the comforter and adjusted it over them.

Jo was up and down the majority of the night; something common for a pregnant woman in her third trimester, four weeks away from giving birth. After her fourth or fifth trip to the bathroom, she gave up, not seeing the benefit of trying to sleep. Instead, she made her way to the nursery, shutting the door softly behind her. Her gaze landed on the book that sat on the table near the closet, and she went to it, picking up the book before taking a seat in the rocking chair.

Her fingers trailed over the pretty gilt title, before cracking the book open. She had read to the baby over the course of her pregnancy; children's short stories, _Ferdinand the Bull, Matilda_ , _The Nutcracker_... but this was the first time she opened _The Secret Garden_. She glanced around the nursery, feeling a sense of calm come over her before she turned to the first page. " _'Chapter One... There Is No One Left.'_ " She paused, feeling the baby shift, and gently, she reached down, stroking the skin of her belly.

" _'When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle, everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen. It was true, too. She had a little thin face and a little thin body, thin light hair and a sour expression. Her hair was yellow, and her face was yellow because she had been born in India and had always been ill in one way or another.'_ " She continued to stroke her belly, the chair rocking gently back and forth. She herself had loved this story as much as Zane did, and her earliest memories were of her mother reading a chapter of the story to her before bed every night, doing the voices and acting out the scenes. When her mother had died, she hadn't touched the book, hadn't watched the movie version, because she and her mother had watched the ninety-ninety-three version the week before she died.

_"The difference between you and Mary, my darling, is that Mary's parents never loved her, unfortunately. She never knew what love was, but you do. Papa and I love you so much."_ Caterina Lupo had made sure that her children understand that no matter the circumstances, no matter what happened, they were loved and always would be- and it was something Jo had done with their girls, Zane had told her.

" _'... in that strange and sudden way that Mary found out that she had neither father nor mother left; that they had died and been carried away in the night, and that the few native servants who had not died also had left the house as quickly as they could get out of it, none of them even remembering that there was a Missie Sahib. That was why the place was so quiet. It was true that there was no one in the bungalow but herself and the little rustling snake.'_ " She released a slow breath. Reading it now, years later, with her own mother having passed also from illness when she was a young age, Jo came to understand more what Mary had gone through, and why she had been so angry, for Jo herself had felt the same anger at eight years of age.

The baby shifted, and she moved her gaze from the book. "You like that, baby boy? Hm? Shall I read some more?" The baby kicked, and she smiled softly, turning to the next chapter, before returning her hand to her belly and stroking it as she continued to read. " _'Chapter Two... Mistress Mary Quite Contrary.'_ " She couldn't help but sing it softly under her breath, moving to read the first line of the second chapter, when she stopped.

_Knew very little of her... if that statement doesn't ring true. I know so little of Mama, and even now, Papa won't say anything about her. And what I do know, are Ricci's memories or Tessie's. My own are... they feel tainted, almost._ She swallowed thickly, shaking her head, sending the thought flying. " _'Mary had liked to look at her mother from a distance and she had thought her very pretty, but as she knew very little of her she could scarcely have been expected to love her or to miss her very much when she was gone...'_ "

She didn't notice Zane slipping out of the shadows near the cracked nursery door, returning to bed. He saw no reason to interrupt her, for she seemed fairly relaxed and calm, and invested in the children's story. By the time Jo finally returned to bed, she and Dorie had found the key with Mary and first unlocked the garden.


	49. Chapter 49

_Thirty-Eight Weeks_

Her first day of maternity leave, Jo spent it resting, feet up, on the sofa, reading chapters of _The Secret Garden_ to the baby. AIDA watched over her, letting both Zane and Allison know how Jo was doing during the course of the day. When Zane got home from work that afternoon, Jo was stretched out on the sofa, her feet propped up, _The Secret Garden_ on the coffee table beside a smoothie and a bowl of that strange. food concoction she'd made weeks ago. She was watching _Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban_ , absentmindedly stroking her belly.

_"Good afternoon, Zane."_

"Afternoon, AIDA." Jo looked up as the Section Five Director came over to her, leaning over the arm of the sofa she was resting against. He set what he'd been carrying down on the floor by the coffee table, and leaned down as she looked up.

"Hey. You're home early." The kiss was quick and chaste as she reached up to caress his cheek. He caught her hand, pressing her palm to his cheek, before turning his head and pressing a kiss to her palm.

"How's my girl doing?" She smiled softly, nuzzling her nose against his. "You doing okay, Jojo?"

"Mhm."

_"Jo started having Braxton Hicks around eleven a.m., Zane."_

Zane turned his gaze to the ceiling. "Braxton Hicks... meaning _false_ labor, _right,_ AIDA?"

 _"Yes, Zane."_ AIDA's voice was soft, if not slightly annoyed, or, as annoyed as a house could sound. She loved her people, _absolutely_ loved and adored her family, but sometimes Zane wore on her wires. He was _brilliant,_ that much was true, but he could be really _stupid_ sometimes. And it seemed as though with each child he and Jo had, that brilliance dimmed a little more- though it could just be the stresses of pregnancy, childbirth and childrearing, AIDA surmised, for he did seem to suffer similar stresses to Jo whenever she was pregnant. _"Braxton Hicks contractions are essentially false labor pains; they are preparing Jo's body for the real contractions she will go through in two weeks when her labor begins."_

Jo chuckled softly. "Honey, you're annoying AIDA."

"I am no-"

 _"If you don't mind my saying, Zane, you have watched Jo go through this three times before. Just because there is an eight-year gap between Eleanora and this baby, does not mean you should have forgotten what Jo's gone through. You_ have _delivered all three of the girls. I would think you would remember, especially given that now, Jo_ cannot _remember_. _It is up to_ you _to remember for her."_

"And I do remember! You _really_ think I don't remember watching my wife go through labor to bring our children into the world? AIDA, _of course_ I remember; those were the _three_ most _important days_ of my life, when our daughters came into the world." He met Jo's gaze, leaning down to rest his forehead against hers. "Those were the days I became a father and we became a family." Jo smiled softly, trailing her fingers down his cheek. "And each time, I watched my mate grow more and more beautiful, even in the midst of labor with our pups, and I've never been prouder of her." He pressed a firm kiss to her forehead.

AIDA heard the tenderness in his voice, the love he held for Jo and their girls. Even despite Jo's missing memory, they were deeply in love, deeply entwined together. The fact that they referred to each other as their 'mate' and the girls their 'pups', was something AIDA hadn't fully understood until she'd researched wolves and how those canines mated for life. AIDA had then decided that perhaps Zane and Jo were right in calling each other their mate, and their girls their pups- for they were as loyal to each other as a pair of wolves.

"Can you _please_ not start World War Three with our house, honey, especially when I'm _two weeks_ away from giving birth?" Jo reached up, tangling her fingers in Zane's hair and scratching her nails against his scalp. He hummed softly, closing his eyes and nuzzling her; he kissed her deeply, nudging his nose against hers for several minutes before pulling himself away and straightening.

 _"There is no need to worry, Jo. My priority at the moment is making sure you and the baby are okay and that you have all you need for when you give birth."_ AIDA spoke up as Zane knelt down and picked up the box before moving to sit beside her, setting the box at the end of the sofa. She pushed herself up, but Zane gently lifted her legs, taking a seat and settling her feet in his lap.

"What are those?" He met her gaze, picking up a couple journals and holding them out to her.

"I took about... three boxes to GD a few months ago and asked Henry if I could give each department and section a couple journals-"

"Why?"

He chuckled softly, reaching up to brush a strand of hair from her cheek. "So they could write down their memories for you."

"Their memories?"

"Of you. Of their interactions and relationships with you. So just in case something happens and you forget the town and the people, you'll have their memories to help you remember."

She turned her attention to the journals, opening one up and skimming through it- stories from the people who worked in the Robotics Department, from friendly conversations with Julia Golden, to lunch with Fargo on occasion. She then set the journal down, turning to the second one and cracking the spine softly as she opened it. Her gaze roved over the stories and memories, and she recognized those from the N.E.A.T. Lab. The words began to swim before her eyes, and she looked up, meeting Zane's gaze. "Why did you do this?"

"Because you are _so_ important, not just to the girls and I, but to the town and the people in the town and at GD. You're a key member, a pillar of this community, Jojo, and you deserve to know that. This town wouldn't feel right, it wouldn't feel like _home_ without you in it." He reached out, catching the tears that race down her cheeks. "And if something happens- God forbid- and you lose your memories of Eureka and her people, this will help you remember. You're _so_ loved, not just by the girls and I, but by this entire town. You're so loved, and you deserve to know."

She set the journal down, pressing his palm to her cheek and kissing it before tugging him close and kissing him deeply and soundly on the mouth, in a kiss that spoke volumes of how she felt in regards to what this wonderful man had done for her.


	50. Chapter 50

_"Zane... Zane..."_

He awoke to find himself stretched out on the sofa in the living room of the cabin. Someone stood leaning over him, watching him sleep. It took a moment before he realized that he was staring at Jo, simply upside down. Her long black hair was pulled back in twin braids down her back; the ends of her braids tumbling over her shoulders and brushing against his face; God, she reminded him of their precious Annie. Her laughter was soft. _"Wake up, sleepyhead."_

 _"Jo?"_ He sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. She was dressed in a pair of shorts and a cherry red bikini halter with a pair of sandals, a pair of sunglasses on her head and one of his button-downs open on her small frame. _"What-"_ She was slender- though not as slender as she had once been- and he could see a touch of baby weight about her waist and hips, filling her out more.

_"About time you woke up. Come on, get dressed, babe. We promised to take the kids to the lake today, remember?"_

He furrowed a brow. _"The lake?"_ She nodded. _"Ah- what... what about Dorie?"_

One slender eyebrow rose. _"What about Dorie?"_ She parroted, and Zane reached out, brushing his fingers against her belly.

_"You... you're pregnant... you're due in... in two weeks..."_

_"Ah... no, I'm not. The last time I was pregnant, we'd had Tressie, remember?_ " She pulled away; he was making her nervous, and she was worried. Maybe he hadn't gotten enough sleep.

 _"Tressie?"_ She nodded. _"No, there's no way. That... that can't be right... you're thirty-eight weeks pregnant with-"_

Jo opened her mouth to speak, when footsteps sounded on the stairs, followed by a shriek. _"Dorie, get back here! That's my book!"_ Zane turned in time to see a teenage boy with messy black hair and caramel eyes come racing down the stairs in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Zane watched, brows knit together in confusion, as the girl jumped, attempting to grab the book the boy held above his head. _"Come on, Dorie, that's not fair!"_

 _"What's a'matter, Lista? Can't reach?"_ Zane watched the young boy- who looked about sixteen or so- move to keep his sister- for she looked like a younger carbon copy of Jo- from reaching her book...

_"Theodore James, stop tormenting your sister!"_

_"Sister?"_ Zane's head snapped towards Jo, who simply glanced at him before turning back to the boy, placing her hands on her shapely hips.

 _"Now, Theodore!"_ The teenager turned to Jo, lowering his arm, ignoring the younger woman, who saw her opening and took it.

 _"Ah, Mama- ow! Lista!"_ He turned as the girl grabbed the arm that held her book, yanking it behind his back and twisting. The boy dropped the book and turned to her with a cry, and she snatched the book up. _"What the fuck was that for?"_

Jo's voice cut through the argument. _"Hey! Language, Theodore James Donovan!"_

The boy turned back to her, tossing his head, black hair falling back into his eyes. _"Sorry, Mama."_ Jo sighed, moving away from the sofa and going to the boy. She reached out, brushing her fingers through his hair, even as he tried to pull away. _"Mama-"_

 _"You certainly inherited Daddy's messy locks, didn't you, Dorie?"_ The boy tried to pull away, and Zane, still sitting on the sofa, watched the scene before him exceedingly confused. There was no way the boy standing before him was his soon-to-be-born son; a mirror copy of him but with Jo's striking caramel eyes.

 _"Um... Jojo?"_ She turned to him. _"How many children do we have?"_

One slender black eyebrow rose. " _What do you mean 'how many children do we have'? What kind of question is that?"_ She wedged herself between his legs, settling back against his chest. _"You_ know _how many children we have, you were there when each of them were_ born _._ _You were also there when each of them were made,"_ She purred, tilting his head down to peck him on the lips. He pulled away, and her caramel eyes filled with worry. _"Are you feeling okay, babe?"_ The mother in her came out, and she reached up to feel his forehead.

 _"I'm fine, Jo, just..."_ He sighed. _"Just humor me, babe, please."_

 _"Ah- okay."_ She shifted until she faced him, her legs hugging his waist lightly. _"Well, there's Catie, and Annie and Elie and Dorie-"_

 _"So we do have four."_ He released a slow breath, relieved.

_"- And Sida, and Tressie and Lista."_

_"Wait... Sida, Tressie and... Lista?"_

_Jo nodded. "Daphne, Grace and Lauren."_

_"Daphne, Grace and- who came up with this names?"_

She started, shifting around to settle against his chest again. _"What do you mean, who came up with these names? You. You named half of them and I named half of them. What is going on with you?"_ He slid his arms around her, nuzzling into her hair.

_"Nothing, I just-"_

_"Just what? Zane?"_ When he looked up, it was to Jo. _"You aren't getting cold feet, are you?"_ His jaw dropped, as he realized she stood before him in a lowcut, princess style wedding dress, her hair pulled up in a bun, a veil obscuring her face. She held a bouquet of winter roses and waited silently for him to respond. _"Zane?"_ The dress wasn't her style at all, that much was noticeable. He opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off. _"You don't want, do you? Figures._ _What man would want to marry the amnesiac after... how many years together? I know my memory is... gone in regards to us, but I love you and-"_

He grabbed her hands. _"No, no! Jo, that's not it! That's... you just... just startled me is all. I wasn't expecting to see... to see you..."_

 _"Doesn't Mommy look pretty, Daddy?"_ He turned as his daughters joining them, dressed in cherry red dresses with their hair pulled back in loose French braids. They gathered around Jo, curling into her sides.

 _"She's beautiful-"_ Something tugged at the back of Zane's brain. _"Wait... Jo, where's Dorie?"_

She furrowed a brow. _"Dorie? Who's Dorie?"_

_"Who- our son! He's our son!"_

Jo shook her head. _"We don't have a son."_

He grabbed her shoulders, shaking her. _"Yes we do-"_

He jolted up as the ringing of his phone woke him. Jo had been up and down the majority of the night, which had kept him up. With two weeks before the baby was due, Zane's awareness of his partner's constant movements wasn't unusual; Zane was even more in tune with Jo when she was pregnant. A moment passed, before he finally grabbed the PDA, answering.

"Hello? Hell- Principal Wallace?... I... I'm sorry... _Elie_ did _what_... I... I'll be right there..."


	51. Chapter 51

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So I'm getting some S3 Zane vibes in regards to looks here... which, honestly, is probably my favorite Zane (I don't know about you, but I love me some Have-an-Ice-Day scruffy Zane)- Licia

Jo looked up as Zane came through the front door with Elie balanced on his hip, her small arms wrapped tight around his neck. The eight-year-old was smaller than most girls her age- most eight-year-olds weighed around fifty-eight pounds, but Ela weighed all of fifty pounds- making her roughly seven or eight pounds lighter than most children her age and height. All three of the Donovan daughters were like their mother- Jo herself was lithe and petite, despite her five-foot-five-and-three-quarter-inch frame, and fairly easy to carry when she wasn't pregnant- and as they grew, would most likely never reach the six feet their father was. It was part of what made Zane so attractive in general; he was- like Joshua- tall, his build fairly slender, with a fair amount of muscle, but not enough to warrant body builder status- simply enough to make Jo's heart flutter when she watched the muscles ripple along his back. His black hair was scruffy, no matter how much he tried to tame it, and it was common to see the young Section Five Director with light five o'clock shadow over his cheeks.

As for Jo, she herself wasn't unattractive. The five-foot-five-and-three-quarter-inch Security Director was just tall enough that she could tuck herself under Zane's chin. With her soft olive skin, caramel eyes and thick black hair, Jo was a woman who turned heads wherever she went; even heavily pregnant and two weeks away from giving birth to her fourth child, she was still drop dead gorgeous, still turned men's heads and still inspired women's jealousy. It was Jo that the girls would end up resembling as they got older- Jo, with her slender build, petite features and small frame; Jo, with her thick, silky raven's black hair and soft caramel eyes, her slightly upturned nose, and the soft pink of her lips. Elie and her sisters would grow up to become mirror images off their mother, and Zane knew he would have a hard time watching his babies grow up.

She set the journal she was reading through aside, and after several minutes, sat up, worry filling her caramel gaze. "Ah... Zane? What's- Elie?" Once on her feet, the girl hurried to her mother, climbing up on the sofa beside Jo and burying herself in her mother's side. "Elie-bean, what-" After several minutes, she managed to lift the girl's head from her breast, mouth falling open at the bruising around her left eye. " _Eleanora Rosalie, what did you do?_ "

The child sniffled, tears trailing down her cheeks, a soft whisper escaping her as her mother gently brushed her fingers over the bruise on her youngest daughter's cheek. The child winced at the tender touch. "They were picking on Annie."

Jo glanced at Zane, who stood with his hands on his hips. " _Who_ was picking on Annie?"

Elie swallowed thickly, glancing at Zane. "I'm not going to tell Mommy, Elie. You have to tell her." The girl glanced at her mother, before turning her gaze to Jo's belly and reaching out to lay a hand on it.

"But I don't want to upset Mommy. What if it makes the baby come early?" Jo reached up, gently brushing a strand of hair out of her daughter's eyes.

"Oh, Elie-bean, the baby won't come early. Baby's fine."

"But-"

She caught her daughter's chin. "I promise, Eleanora. Baby boy's fine. You won't make me go into labor; that's not how labor works. I may not remember having you or your sisters, or my relationship with Daddy or our lives together, but I _do know_ that that's not how labor works. Your brother's not going to come now; he's not quite ready to come out yet. When he's ready, everyone in this house will know. Trust me." She pecked her youngest on the lips. "Now tell me what happened. How'd you end up with a shiner like that, hmm? Who went after Annie and why did you go after them?"

The girl glanced at her father before turning back to her mother; to reassure her, Jo reached down, resting her hand over Ela's and squeezing gently. The baby kicked, and Jo smiled at her daughter. A moment passed before the girl finally whispered, "Jacob Dactylos." Jo turned to Zane, who groaned in annoyance and rolled his eyes, rubbing his hands over his face.

"He's Christopher Dactylos' son with Tina from reproductive biology."

_"I have a date- the blonde from reproductive biology."_

She shook her head, the memory fading; though she bristled slightly and simultaneously wanted to burst into tears for some reason she couldn't name. Instead, she turned to her daughter, gently brushing the tears off her daughter's cheeks, being careful of the bruise around her eye. "He clearly got a good shot in if he gave you that shiner." The girl winced, and Jo hummed softly. "I'm sorry, baby girl." A moment passed, before she chuckled, resting her forehead to her daughter's, nuzzling her child. "If you're anything like me, I'd hate to see the damage you did to Dactylos's son."

The girl sniffled and tried to smile, reaching up and swiping the back of her hand along the bottom of her nose. "She deviated the boy's septum." Jo lifted her head, meeting Zane's gaze briefly, raising her eyebrows in surprise, unable to hide the pride that flashed in her caramel eyes. She turned back to Ela, pressing her forehead to Ela's again.

"That's my girl."

 _"Jo."_ Normally, Zane would share the same pride his mate felt for their pup's scrappiness, but he'd had to listen to the arrogant asshat artist that was Jacob's father rant and rave and go after the youngest of his babies and _not_ go after the man himself- for once, he had to play the adult, and he didn't particularly care to do so, even when he had to. Though, he wasn't to adult to admit to himself that he was proud of his baby for the damage she'd done to the boy- clearly, she got her scrappiness from her mother.

The Security Director glanced at her partner, before turning back to her youngest daughter, reaching up to cradle Ela's face in her hands. "Daddy has to be the strict one, but he's _just_ as proud of you as I am."


	52. Chapter 52

_"I've never felt this strong_   
_I'm invincible, how could this go wrong?_   
_No, here, here's where we belong_   
_I see a road ahead_   
_I never thought I would dare to tread_

_Like an image passing by_   
_My love, my life_   
_In the mirror of your eyes_   
_My love, my life_   
_I can see it all so clearly_   
_All I love so dearly_   
_Images passing by_   
_Like reflections of your mind_   
_My love, my life_   
_Are the words I try to find_   
_My love, my life_   
_But I know I don't possess you_   
_With all my heart, God bless you_   
_You will be my love and my life_   
_You're my one and only"_

_\- Mamma Mia:_

_Here We Go Again soundtrack_

_Forty Weeks_

The next week, Zane and Jo pulled the girls out of school early so they could spend some time at the cabin as a family before the baby came. Allison and Zoe both made it very clear that if anything happened, Zane was to get in touch with them. The girls spent the mornings and afternoons finishing their homework and watching movies with their mother, or telling her about the traditions they had around Christmastime, writing everything down in the journals Jo brought with them. On occasion, a look of distraction would cross Jo's face, she'd rest a hand against her back, or pause, before returning back to the conversation of activity. Zane and the girls often caught Jo's strange behavior, but she simply shrugged it off. After dinner, they made sugar cookies and hot cocoa and watched Christmas movies and the girls listened as Jo and Zane told them stories of what it was like growing up on the East Coast.

Early Sunday evening, after the girls went to bed, Zane came back downstairs, stopping on the staircase to see Jo settled on the sofa, hands trailing lazy circles over her belly, distracted. He couldn't help himself from drinking in the sight of his mate, round and soft with his child, due any day, now that she was in the last week of her pregnancy. A look flashed across her face, but it soon vanished. She looked up, feeling his gaze on her, and an easy smile crossed her face. He smiled back, coming into the living room and going to the stereo, putting a CD in and turning it on low. He then went to Jo, holding out his hands. She furrowed a brow. "Come on."

"Zane? What are you doing?"

"Come on, Jojo." She gave him her hands, and he gently tugged her to her feet.

"If you want to dance, Zane, I think you may have to wake one of the girls-" Instead of responding, he merely wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, so that her back was against his chest, his hands coming to rest against her belly. As the next song came on, Jo turned to meet his gaze. "Isn't this a little... junior high?"

"Hmm." He pressed a kiss to her temple.

_"... I see a road ahead I never thought I would dare to tread..."_

She let herself fall silent as she listened to the lyrics, before meeting his gaze. "Is this... the soundtrack for the second Mamma Mia film?" He nodded, lips brushing against her hair.

"Mhm."

"But... why this song?"

"Listen to the lyrics, Jojo."

She fell silent, closing her eyes and letting words wash over her. Zane's arms were strong and tender around her, his lips in her hair, his chest firm against her back, keeping her safe.

_"Zane- I'm nine months pregnant; I'm not exactly in the dancing mood."_

_"Come on, Jojo." He slid his arms around her from behind, pressing a kiss to her head. "Listen to the lyrics, sweetheart."_

_"But-"_

_She turned to meet his gaze and he cut her off with a soft kiss. "Just listen to the lyrics, Jojo."_

The familiar warmth she felt spread in her heart whenever Zane was near returned, and she released a slow breath, nestling against him as the lyrics washed over her. They were gentle, soft, tender; a mother speaking to her child. Jo opened her eyes, turning her head to meet Zane's gaze.

 _"My love, my life,_ _I can see it all so clearly, a_ _ll I love so dearly..."_

He smiled softly, meeting her gaze. "This little boy is the love of my life as much as you and the girls are, Jo." He swallowed thickly. "This is my son, as much as he's yours." She nuzzled him, silent. "I may not have the same bond with him you do, but he's my love as much as he's yours. As much as the girls are. This little boy brings the loves of my life to five, and I've never felt more honored." He rested his forehead to hers. "You're not just my mate, Jo."

Upstairs, Catie snuck onto the stairs, awakened by the music. She curled up on the stairs, watching from the shadows as Daddy held Mommy close and danced with her; she remembered him doing the same before Annie and Elie had been born- she turned at the soft creak on the stairs, to find her sisters behind her. "'atie?" Annie yawned, as Elie rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Auntie Allie had managed to use some sort of technology to help the bruise around Elie's eye heal, and all it was now was slightly tender.

_"Shh."_

"'at're you watchin'?" Elie whispered as Annie sat down on the top of the stairs and then slowly crept down to join her sister. After a moment, Elie joined them.

"Daddy's dancing with Mommy."

"Dancing?" Catie nodded, and the girls watched as their parents continued to sway to the music. Annie snuggled close to Catie, who wrapped her arm around her sister, and Elie curled into Annie's side.

"What do you mean?" The girls shared glances.

They watched Daddy press a kiss to her hair. "You're my mate, yes, but you're also the love of my life. In the chaos of the world, you're my one and only." He brushed a kiss to her forehead. "My one true love."

She turned, meeting his gaze. "Do you really mean that, Zane? Even though I can't remember you or the girls? Or our life together?"

He reached up, caressing her cheek. "With all my heart, Jo." She pressed her cheek into his hand before tilting her head up to accept his kiss. It was soft, tender, and yet, conveyed all the love he felt for her-

She broke the kiss, pulling away with a sharp inhale. "Jojo?" The Security Director reached behind her, resting a hand on her back, a look of pain crossing her face. "Jo, sweetheart, look at me." Slowly, she lifted her head, meeting his gaze. She didn't have to say a word; it was loud and clear in her eyes.

"Daddy?"

"Easy, Jojo." She released a slow breath, as he kissed her temple, feeling him slide an arm around her waist to hold her close, something she was grateful for. Footsteps on the stairs caused him to look up as the girls came down the stairs.

"What's going on?"

Zane smiled softly at his daughters. "Catie, can you get some warm water? Annie, can you get some towels, and Elie, fill a glass with ice, please."

The girls shared glances, wanting to ask, but afraid of getting their hopes up. "Why do we need ice and towels, Daddy?" Elie asked, for she'd been the one being born the last time Mommy had been pregnant; Zane gently rubbed Jo's back, smiling softly at his youngest daughter.

"Mommy's in labor, sweetheart."

Catie's eyes lit up. "Daddy, does that-"

He nodded, gently brushing a kiss to Jo's head. "Yes, Catie, that means the baby's coming."


	53. Chapter 53

_Ten Hours Later_

Twinges, that's what it felt like at first.

Similar to menstrual cramps or stomach pains- in the beginning. They were so light, she could still walk and talk despite the pain.

But that changed over the course of the night and into the early, early, predawn hours of the next morning. They got stronger, firmer, as the hours wore on, to the point where she was forced to stop more often during her pacing. She slowly peeled off her clothing as the hours went by, unable to handle the feel of the material on her sensitive skin.

Her long black hair tumbled down her back in waves, but she couldn't be bothered to put it up, because her attention was taken up by the contractions. At one point, she sat on the edge of the bed in their room, hands on either side of her belly, forcing herself to take slow, steady breaths. Eyes closed, she tried to focus on her breathing, feeling the bed dip slightly before feeling small hands in her hair. "Here, Mommy."

Catie sat behind her mother, parting her long black hair down the middle. The twelve-year-old had grabbed a couple hair ties and now sat working on braiding her mother's hair. The soft raven strands- strands she and her sisters had inherited- slid through her small fingers like liquid silk. Catie had always marvelled at Mommy's hair; it was always so soft and smooth and smelled sweetly of pomegranate. She loved watching the way Mommy's long, black locks tumbled down her back in waves, how long and thick it was. She loved watching the way her hair fell in front of her face when she leaned down to kiss Daddy, and how it curled in at the ends. Overall, Catie loved everything about Mommy's hair, and hoped her hair was as long and thick and soft as hers when she got older.

She gently twisted her mother's soft locks into two loose French braids down either side of her head, tying them off at the ends, surprised to see that her mother's hair- even pulled up into braids- hit just above her waist, and it was just past her hips when down. Mommy rested her head against Catie's shoulder, releasing a slow breath. "Thank you, Kitten."

Catie froze; it had been so long since Mommy had called her her special nickname, that the twelve-year-old didn't know how to respond. Tears began to gather in her eyes, but she blinked them away, resting her head against her mother's, wrapping her arms around her mother to squeeze her gently. Jo didn't seem to realize what she'd said. "Welcome, Mommy." She pressed a kiss to her mother's forehead before pulling away as another contraction grabbed Jo around the waist and her mother leaned forward with a whimper.

Allison had been right; at her last check-up before they'd left for the cabin, the baby hadn't shifted to face her back and still faced her tummy- meaning her labor would most likely be more painful, not that anyone could ever explain why it was more painful. Footsteps sounded, and she looked up as Zane, Annie and Elie came into the room. "How's my girl, hmm?" He asked softly, kneeling down to gently caress her face. She met his gaze, releasing a breath, reaching up to lay a hand against her belly.

"It's getting worse." She breathed in between contractions. Zane chuckled softly.

"That's common, Jojo. If it didn't get worse, it wouldn't be labor, sweetheart. That's why it's _called_ labor."

She shoved him hard. "Shut up, smartass."

He smiled softly, as she choked on a gasp. "Come on, darling." He held out his hands, and after a moment, she took them. Gently, Zane helped her to her feet, wrapping an arm around her waist. "Let's get you walking around; that'll help." Catie and her sisters watched as Daddy took Mommy into the living room, before following.

They stood in the hallway, quietly watching Daddy pace the living room floor with Mommy; stopping every so often when a contraction grabbed Mommy around the waist. He was gentle with her, soft and tender, stopping when she needed to, rubbing her back, talking to her, holding her close and giving her his strength, pressing kisses to her hair and whispering sweet words of encouragement in her ear as the hours passed.

As night turned to day, and day into afternoon, her labor continued, getting stronger and stronger. At one point, Jo went to the door, needing air; it was too warm in the cabin. Leaving the door propped open, Zane followed her out, recognizing that she needed time outside to cool down; it was one of the few things that Zane worried about whenever Jo went into labor- she always ran a bit of a fever; no one could ever figure out what it was that caused it, but with her last three pregnancies, she had always run a slight fever.

The girls followed, watching from the doorway their parents paced the length of the porch. It was quiet and cool outside on this December afternoon. Jo grabbed into the railing of the porch, releasing a slow breath, even as another contraction grabbed her around the waist.

_It stole her breath, making her weak in the knees and ripping a groan from her throat. "Daddy? Mommy?"_

She turned, meeting Zane's gaze as she leaned back against the railing, hoping the firm wood at her back would help with the pain. Zane gently brushed a hand against her cheek, a tiny smile tugging at his lips as he felt her skin cool at his touch. A moment passed, before he slid an arm around her waist. "Come on, love, let's go back inside."

All Jo could do was nod, allowing Zane to lead her back into the cabin. The girls scampered out of the way, allowing them to enter. If any of them thought it would be a quick labor like Annie's birth, they were all sorely mistaken. Because the baby was cephalic posterior, and facing Jo's tummy, instead of cephalic and facing her back, it meant her labor would be longer and more painful, though doctors could never figure out why cephalic posterior was the more painful of the two. For Jo, who didn't remember her first three labors, felt as though this was her first, and though she was scared, she knew that she wasn't alone, because she had Zane and the girls there to help her through what would become an exceedingly long, painful road ahead.

And what a long, painful road it would be.


	54. Chapter 54

_"I, I have known love before_   
_I thought it would no more_   
_Take on a new direction_   
_Still, strange as it seems to be_   
_It's truly new to me_   
_That affection_

_I, I don't know what you do_   
_You make me think that you_   
_Will change my life forever_   
_I, I'll always want you near_   
_Give up on you, my dear_   
_I will never"_

_\- Mamma Mia:_

_Here We Go Again Soundtrack_

_December 20th, 2020_

In total, from the time it had started- when she'd ignored it- on the morning of the eighteenth, to the late hours of the twentieth, Jo had spent a little over two days in labor- not uncommon, for not all subsequent labors went fast. As her labor progressed, Jo felt her resolve crumbling more and more, the pain she felt becoming more and more intense with each passing hour. She spent the time pacing the living room, hands on her lower back, stopping every so often when a contraction grabbed her around the waist. Allison had estimated that her due date was the twentieth of December, but there was no guarantee the baby would come on its due date.

 _"Due dates are really just estimations from your last menstrual period."_ Allison had told her. _"Very rarely do babies come on their due dates; first, second, third, fourth, fifth- babies decide when they come, we don't decide."_

She groaned, leaning against the bathroom counter as Zane rubbed her back. "No... no... _lower... please..._ " He moved his hands down, rubbing his knuckles back and forth along her lower back. She whimpered. "Zane... _it hurts..._ "

"I know, Jojo. I know." Gently, he reached down, putting his hands on either side of her hips and pushing in gently. Several minutes passed before the pain in her lower back diminished slightly, and she released a soft breath. A moment passed before she looked up at him, meeting his gaze. A soft smile tugged at her lips despite the pain, and he leaned down, brushing his lips against hers tenderly for the moment, before nuzzling his nose against hers for several minutes. He rested his lips against her forehead, giving her as much of his strength as he could.

Catie glanced at her sisters; they watched from the stairs as their mother continued to pace with their father at her side. The fire crackled in the fireplace, warming the cabin, as it began to snow outside. Unlike the storm Catie was born into, the calm and quiet of the snow outside was a strong contrast in regards to the oldest and youngest Donovan children.

Another four hours passed, but it didn't look as though their brother would be coming anytime soon. After several minutes, Jo asked if she could lie down, and Zane took her back to their bedroom. The girls shared glances before hurrying down the stairs and following. They found their mother curled up on her side on their bed, arms around her belly, taking deep, slow breaths. Zane sat beside her, gently stroking his fingers through her hair and rubbing her back, whispering softly to her. Jo shook her head, meeting his gaze, before reaching up to caress his cheek. He caught her hand, pressing a kiss to her palm.

"Daddy?" Zane looked up at Catie's soft question, and he smiled at them.

"What is it, pups?"

Catie glanced at Annie, who spoke up. "The fire went out-"

"Come here, girls." They hurried to the bed, climbing onto it as Zane stood. "Keep Mommy occupied, okay? Talk to her, tell her stories, help her focus on something other than the pain."

"Will it stop it, Daddy?" Elie asked, as Zane pulled on his coat. The woodpile on the other end of the porch was stacked enough to last through the winter, but they'd only need a few more logs to keep the cabin warm. He chuckled softly.

"Unfortunately not, Elie-bean, but it'll keep Mommy focused on something other than the pain. Can you three do that for me?" They nodded. He pressed a kiss to each head before kissing Jo softly. "I'll be right back, Jojo. I'm just going to go get some firewood and restart the fire, okay?" She nodded, only half-paying attention.

Once outside, he shut the door softly behind him, taking in the falling snow just beyond the porch. It didn't seem real, that Jo had been in labor for the last two days; yes, both Catie and Elie had been long, painful labors, but Annie's arrival had been fairly quick, all things considered- given that the most patient of their children had been the most impatient one to be born. For the briefest of moments, Zane wondered if they'd made a mistake, not terminating the pregnancy after Jo's accident- would it cause undue stress on her mind, stress she didn't need? Or would it help her to remember, something that was unlikely to happen? There were no guarantees, no studies proving, that the birth of a child or a wedding or anything else of major significance such as those two events brought back the memories of amnesiacs-

If anything, it gave them something else to focus on, to build on and work with, or it caused unnecessary stress and worry on the amnesiac's brain.

 _No, not with Jo. She's strong, she'll get through this. She's done this three times before, and even if her brain doesn't remember, her body does, and it'll get her through it._ He slipped back into the cabin, shutting the door softly behind him, before making his way to the fireplace. He could hear the girls in their bedroom, telling Jo stories and keeping her company, and his heart warmed at the realization that they had created three amazingly beautiful little girls, who loved with all their hearts. Once the fire was roaring in the fireplace, he grabbed the camera from the table and returned to the bedroom.

Jo was seated on the edge of the bed, Catie sitting behind her with Annie and Elie on either side of her; her eyes were closed and her hands rested on her belly as she took slow, deep breaths. "It's okay, Mommy. It's okay." Jo turned to meet Anna's gaze, smiling softly at her child before pecking her gently on the lips and then doing the same with Catie and Elie.

The camera clicked multiple times as Zane froze the beautiful moments between his mate and their pups forever in time-

Jo let out squeal as her waters burst, the pressure she'd been enduring for the last few weeks finally released. _"Zane!"_ She met his gaze, and he hurried to her, setting the camera aside as he made his way towards her and took her face in his hands. _"My... my water..."_

"I know. I know, Jojo. Shh. It's okay. It's okay, you're doing so good." He kissed her softly before resting his forehead to hers. "You're doing so, so good." She choked on a sob. "Come on, let's get you up and walking."


	55. Chapter 55

They had come to the cabin to get away, spend a few days, before the baby came, together; before their five became six, and their three became four.

They should have anticipated- or rather, _Zane_ should have- that their son would choose their time away at the cabin to make his entrance into the world. In the intervening hours since Jo's water had broken, she had gone from the bed to the stairs, unable to find a comfortable position, unwilling to stay in the bedroom where it was cool, nor in the living room where it was warm, and so she ended up pacing the hallway until she couldn't handle the pain anymore and ended up sitting at the bottom of the stairs.

Something was happening, she could feel it... the contractions had gotten stronger, harder, faster, coming one one top of the other without giving her a moments' peace to catch her breath. Catie climbed up behind her mother, moving to rub her shoulders as she'd seen Daddy do over the course of the last few days.

_"Zane."_

"I'm right here, Jojo. It's okay, you're doing good." He knelt beside her, and she met his gaze.

"It's burning."

"I know, sweetheart. Remember, Allison said that that's normal, and it'll be over soon?" She nodded, releasing a slow breath. "Good girl, breathe through the pain-"

"It hurts."

"I know it hurts, darling, but you're doing so good. So, so good and I'm so proud of you. Keep breathing, slow, deep breaths." She copied him, until she was able to focus on it herself. "That's my girl."

The next three hours saw Jo sitting on the stairs, legs spread wide, trying hard to keep from completely breaking down as the baby began to crown. Zane had brought the camera back into the living room, capturing the moments their son began to slowly appear. _"Zane!"_ He quickly set the camera down, kneeling in front of her as she grabbed Annie's hand, squeezing firmly.

"I'm right here, Jojo. I'm right here; I'm not going anywhere. I've got you. I've got all five of you. I _promise_."

_"Oh... God, it hurts!"_

"I know it does, honey-"

Jo shook her head with a squeal as she leaned back in Catie's arms. _"No... you... don't..."_

Zane had to concede that she was right. He sighed, reaching up to brush a loose strand of hair from her cheek. "You're right, I don't, but I do know what it's like to watch the woman I love bring my children into the world, and I've never been prouder of you." He kissed her gently, but the kiss was soon cut short when she pulled away. A squeal escaped her throat as she leaned back on her hands, trying hard not to push, even though everything in her body was screaming to.

After several minutes, Zane looked down to see a small head of matted dark curls pop out between her legs. "Easy, Jojo. Here." He reached up, taking her hand and guiding it down between her thighs. Her caramel gaze filled with surprise, meeting his as her fingers brushed gently against the baby's head.

"That's..." Zane nodded.

"That's him. That's our son. He's got a head of black curls just like you, sweetheart." Zane swallowed thickly, feeling himself start to choke up. "He's so beautiful."

Elie leaned over to look, as Jo firmly squeezed her hand. Blue eyes widened in surprise and Annie snorted softly. She may have only been about two at the time, but there was no way she'd ever forget seeing Elie come out of her mother. It was the day peace and quiet left the TARDIS house on Coriolis Loop forever, and was never coming back. "That's our baby?"

Zane nodded, meeting his youngest daughter's gaze. "That's our baby, Elie-bean."

"He's almost out, Mommy." Annie whispered, as Jo took her hand again. The next several hours were filled with pain as the baby slowly made his way out of his mother. Jo bore down, as hard as she could-

"That's it, my darling! You're doing so amazing! Keep pushing! That's it! Almost, Jojo! He's almost here!"

As she moved to pull her legs back, Annie and Elie took her legs, and Catie took Jo's hands, letting her mother lean back against her. "He's almost out, Mommy. Almost. He's almost out." Catie whispered, and Jo nodded, bearing down again with a grunt. The girls watched their mother, saw how her body- out of either instinct or pain or some long forgotten memory- arched as she bore down, how her hips rose slightly with each long, hard push, screams escaping her throat at the pain. She dug her nails into Catie's hands, tightening her hold on her oldest daughter with each contraction.

The oldest girl squeaked as Jo squeezed her hand tighter, nearly breaking the bones in her palm. Zane chuckled softly, his blue eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "Now you know what I went through when you were born, pup."

Jo's squeal interrupted him, as she bore down with the next contraction. _"... God... he's not... coming out..."_

"Oh, he's coming out, sweetheart. He's just taking his time." Zane replied, giving her a smile. She let out a squeal, similar to the sound a pig made when being hog-tied, and on instinct, kicked out weakly, even as Annie gently tightened her hold on Mommy's thigh.

"Almost, Mommy." She said, as Jo shook her head in protest but continued to bear down hard. Elie nodded, but Jo wasn't focused on her daughters; she wasn't focused on Annie or Elie or even Catie. She was barely focused on Zane; all her attention was on the baby making his way out of her and into the world.

"And for years, I thought there was nothing worse than getting shot in combat... I was wrong... I was _so, so wrong_..." She choked out, pushing herself up and forwards on the stair she was sitting on, while Catie stayed behind her, rubbing her back, playing with her hair and encouraging her when she needed it- which made a huge difference, seeing as the pain in her lower back had gotten worse. She bore down again, harder this time, reaching up to take Catie's hands. The girl gave them, letting her mother dig her nails into her skin, jumping at her mother's shriek. " _Oh, God, this is worse! You better damn well be grateful, Zane Matthew_ , because I am _not doing this again!_ "

Her words morphed into a scream as her eyes snapped shut.


	56. Chapter 56

_"You thrill me, you delight me  
You please me, you excite me  
You’re all that  
I’d been yearning for  
I love you, I adore you  
I lay my life before you  
I only want you more and more_ "

_\- Mamma Mia:_

_Here We Go Again Soundtrack_

_Late December 21st, 2020_

Even if she could remember each of the girls' births, she didn't necessarily think she wanted to. There was an apparent difference between remembering and experiencing, and at the moment, she was experiencing, but she didn't necessarily _want_ to be experiencing it either.

"That's it, sweetheart-"

_"The cord... Zane..."_

Zane didn't say a word, but Annie and Elie watched their father work; something tumbled out, reminding the girls of an accordion- "It's okay, Jojo. The cord's free; he's okay."

But Jo was barely paying attention. She took several deep breaths, reaching down to rest a hand on either side of her belly before bearing down again. A moment passed, before she let out a whimper, reaching up to grab Catie's knees. A moment passed, before she reached for Catie's hands; the girl laced their fingers and letting her squeeze as hard as she could. Cate pressed a kiss to her mother's head as Jo sank back against her, taking several minutes to catch her breath, before she bore down again and then released her daughter's hands, pressing her hands against the stair beneath her, and pushing herself up.

 _Why can't those childhood stories of the stork be true? I would much prefer dealing with a giant bird to dealing with this!_ _Oh, God, make it stop_! She let out a squeal, pushing as hard as she possibly could, feeling one shoulder slowly begin to slide out of her.

"Keep pushing, darling." Zane swallowed thickly, gently cradling his son as Jo continued to birth. Allison jokingly accused Zane of purposefully refusing to call her, but in all honesty, it was purely forgetfulness or missed opportunity on his part. Annie hadn't given them enough time to get in touch with her, Catie had been a complete fluke if he was totally honest, and they had figured Elie would wait until they'd returned to Eureka before coming into the world. And this baby-

He glanced at Catie, heard her soft whisperings to her mother, and felt his heart warm. How had they managed to create such a loving, tender child? Most children avoided the subject of birth- it was right up there with sex, and was the silent, unspoken acceptance that their parents were _having_ sex, if there was another baby on the way- but Catie, their darling Caterina, had been eager and excited with each baby. She'd only been a toddler herself when Annie was born, but she'd been right by Jo's side for hours during her mother's labor, using her innocence and bright blue eyes to keep her mother distracted from the worst of the contractions until Zane had asked AIDA to look after her when Jo's water broke. But as soon as Annie had entered the world, Catie had been _right back_ on the bed beside her mother, staring wide-eyed at the baby against Jo's breast, subdued and yet eager to get a closer look at her new sister.

And then two years later, when Elie had made her appearance, Catie had been right back by Jo's side, out on that porch in the cool April evening, holding her mother's hand and telling her stories; giving her kisses and teaching Annie how to distract her from the pain. The wide-eyed child had taken her task of keeping her mother distracted seriously, and even now, eight years later, it was still her most important task. Though her mother wasn't paying attention, it was evident that whatever the twelve-year-old was saying was helping, as Jo was letting herself relax.

His blue gaze moved to Annie; the ten-year-old had had less time helping her mother through childbirth- seeing as she'd been born two years after Catie, but their quiet, compassionate tornado was just as focused on her mother as her older sister. Annie had been quick; by one thirty that afternoon, she was in Zane's arms, announcing her arrival to all of Oregon as her sister came dashing back into the room at the sound of her baby sister's screams. That baby had grown up to become a compassionate little girl, who took her tasks seriously, including this one. Though she often complained about the loss of quiet in the house, Annie loved her baby sister dearly, and Zane knew she would never let anything happen to Elie- even though Elie was usually the one protecting Annie.

"It's okay, Mommy. It's almost over." Though the youngest and most rambunctious of their girls, Elie had a protective streak about her longer than the Western Seaboard. She had surprised them both, not only being two days late, but coming during their time here at the cabin. Elie had been like Catie- taking her time coming into the world, but when she did finally enter, she had- as Annie often said- stole the quiet from the house. But she'd also completed their family.

Until now.

Something deep in Zane's heart told him that his son's much anticipated arrival would mark the completion of their family, and finally give Jo the one thing she'd secretly always wanted, but had never ha the courage to tell him. Zane knew that Jo had always wanted a boy; despite her excitement and deep love of the girls, she had always wanted a son- something her mother had had no trouble having. But Rina Lupo's daughter had clearly not been as lucky; in fact, their roles had switched- the one thing Rina had longed for and gotten on her last try was the one thing Jo had had no problem having. And the one thing Rina had had no issue having was the one thing Jo secretly, silently longed for, but never said a word, for fear of hurting the girls' feelings. But Zane understood, he really did.

Jo had grown up in a household of boys; it wasn't that she didn't love the girls- she did, she just didn't know how to handle them or act around them. But boys- she knew how to handle boys, having grown up with three brothers. Jo had had to adapt; becoming the tomboy, chasing after her brothers and doing all she could to match or best them, adding her own accomplishments to theirs, always being lumped in with the rest of the Lupos, and never being seen as her own person. From her grades to her military career to her university degrees and business ventures, she'd done all she could to distance herself from her brothers, but it wasn't enough. For a brief time, she'd held her own up in Vancouver- being the one of the siblings to have a successful, multimillion-dollar business venture take off- and even Eureka had been hers, briefly.

But not even Eureka fully belonged to Jo anymore; Zane had nothing against Ricco; he loved his brother-and-sister-in-law, but he knew that Ricco's being scouted for the town and the Medical Department at Allison's request had been a blow to the Security Director. And she tried hard to hide it, succeeding most of the time, but Zane knew that the day Ricco had stepped out of that van had been the moment Jo's perfect, insulated little bubble had burst, and she'd been forced to concede that the town she loved and had viewed as strictly hers no longer only belonged to her.

She was forced to share it with her oldest brother; though she often played nice, Zane had been there- especially at the beginning- when she lost it, stemming her tears and telling her that she had every right to be upset. Parenthood hadn't even been Jo's to call her own, for Ricco and Tessie had Mickey- a year or so before they'd had Cate. He knew she tried hard not to make life a competition, but it was in her nature to. It was who Jo was- and not even amnesia could take away that competitive nature.

Though this time, she had something Ricco didn't- a son.

A much-longed for, secretly-desired son.

Zane wasn't going to pretend that Jo's quiet admissions about 'one-upping' her brother, and 'having something Ricco doesn't', and 'for once, they can't lump me in with the rest', hadn't been cast into the universe, because they had, and Zane wasn't one to ignore secrets whispered at night among the blankets of their bed after amorous rounds of sex. The honesty in Jo's quiet admissions had calmed him; secret relief that she wasn't hiding her competitiveness or trying to dilute herself about this unspoken rivalry with her brothers. The last thing Zane wanted was Jo to kid herself in regards to her personal sibling rivalry.

And yet, he knew that she was a long way off from letting her quiet resentment simmer away; Jo wasn't one to bury the hatchet until the thing was well and truly dead. And if his wife had her way, Ricco would be leaving Eureka with a new identity if not in a body bag. She viewed Eureka as hers, and would never- no matter how many years passed- get used to having to share it with her brother.

_"Zane!"_

He was snapped out of his thoughts at Jo's scream, and turned back to the task at hand. _"That's it, Jojo. You're doing so, so good! He's almost here! Keep pushing!"_

She grit her teeth, snapping her eyes shut; another scream ripping itself from her throat as she bore down. They were primal and animalistic- a mother wolf deep in the chaotic, painful throes of labor. _"Oh God..."_

"He's coming out, Mommy." Ela told her, gently squeezing her mother's thigh. Jo bore down again, and Zane watched as the second shoulder slid out. She let out a scream, arching her back as she pushed. Her scream morphed into a bellow, and Ela glanced at her sisters; this was the first time she'd ever heard such a sound come from her mother and it worried her. 

_"I can't do this!"_

"Yes you can, Mommy."

"That's it, Jojo! That's my girl!"

"It's okay, Mommy."

_"Make it stop!"_

"He's almost out, Mommy."

 _Oh God, oh God, oh God... this is never going to end... "No! Don't make me do this! I can't!"_


	57. Chapter 57

_"I'll carry you all the way_   
_And you will choose the day_   
_When you're prepared to greet me_   
_I'll be a good mum, I swear_   
_You'll see how much I care_   
_When you meet me_

_And finally it seems_   
_My lonely days are through_   
_I've been waiting for you"_

_\- Mamma Mia 2:_

_Here We Go Again Soundtrack_

_December 22nd, 2020_

_"Zane... get him out..."_

_"Keep pushing, sweetheart! That's it, darling! Again!"_

_"No."_ She shook her head, meeting his gaze, and he nodded. _"I don't want to do this! Make it stop! Put it back in!"_

Zane smiled softly at her, recognizing the panic that often filled Jo's eyes in the last moments of childbirth. It was a common thing for Jo to panic in the last moments before the baby fully came out; she'd panicked with Catie, and Elie- the only exception was Annie, who hadn't given her mother time to panic. "You're almost done, darling. I _promise_ you, you're almost done. A couple more- come on, sweetheart, just a couple more. I've never lied to you and I won't start now. You're _so close!_ " She bore down again. _"Harder, sweetheart! That's it! Keep pushing!"_

She bore down as hard as she could, digging her nails into Catie's hands and snapping her eyes shut, arching her back out of instinct. It was nothing but an endless bout of pain and pressure, broken only by the jumbled mess that was the girls' whispered words of encouragement and Zane's steady voice. _"One more! You're almost done!"_ A bellow escaped her, ringing through the cabin as the stars twinkled overhead and the snow fell softly over Eureka. "That's my girl." She met his gaze, his bright blue eyes meeting hers through the haze that was childbirth; she shook her head. _"Come on, Jojo, it's time to meet our son! Now push!"_

She let out a shriek. _"Get him out!"_

_"One more! Come on, that's it, Josephina! Harder! One more and you're done!"_

_Oh God, oh God, Oh God, Oh God, make it stop! Get him out of me!_ She didn't notice Catie's words of encouragement or Annie and Elie's insistences that it was okay. She didn't hear Zane's platitudes or promises, she only noticed the deep, horrendous throbbing between her legs as she bore down as hard as she possibly could. Pain and pressure and a strong, silent promise to _castrate_ Zane if he _ever_ came near her again-

_"Zane!"_

He came out in an explosion of blood and birth, his strong, loud cries drowning out his mother's primal screams, at ten minutes past midnight, two days before Christmas. Jo collapsed back against Catie, greedily gulping in air, the sound of her son's screams echoing in the cabin and reaching her ears. A small smile tugged at her lips, and she huffed, blowing her bangs out of her face before turning her head and nuzzling against Catie's shoulder; something she'd done with Zane after Cate had been born- a way to remind herself that this was real, and that she could catch her breath; that it was over.

Zane's voice, choked with tears, reached her ears, and she closed her eyes briefly.

" _Hey... welcome to the world, baby boy._ "

"He's out, Mommy." Catie told her, and she nodded, opening her eyes in time to meet Zane's gaze.

"He's _so beautiful_ , Jo." His blue eyes swam with tears as he came to her side, their newlyborn son in his arms. Chest still heaving, Jo slowly released her tight hold on Catie's hands, reaching for the baby as Zane laid him against her chest. "He's the most beautiful boy I've ever laid eyes on." Their lips met in a soft kiss. He broke it gently, before kissing her again, firmer and longer for several minutes before slowly breaking the kiss and gently nudging her nose with his. _"Meet your son, Jojo."_ He brushed the softest of kisses to her lips. " _Thank you._ " Gently, Zane kissed her forehead as she turned her gaze to the baby in her arms.

The warmth that she felt whenever Zane was nearby seemed to multiply tenfold when she laid eyes on the baby at her breast. Finally, after nine months of waiting, nine months of journaling facts about her life with Zane and the girls, as her belly had expanded and they'd prepared as best they could for their newest family member, he was here, in her arms; all nine pounds, eight ounces, with his father's dark hair and her eyes. At first, she couldn't seem to speak, before finally, she choked out,

" _Hi... hi baby..._ _hi Dorie..._ we've been waiting a long, _long_ time to meet you. _God, you're so beautiful._ " She met Zane's gaze, tears filling her own. " _Thank you._ "

Zane shook his head, unable to find the words. "I... I should be thanking you." He kissed her again, firmly and lovingly, nuzzling her when they broke the kiss as he reached up to caress her cheek. " _Thank you_ for giving him to me, you beautiful _, beautiful, absolutely wonderful, amazing woman_."

It was unusual for a man to show his emotions in normal society- in Eureka, it was next to unheard of- but Zane had always gone against the grain. He never understood the need for men to be viewed as machoistic- but then again, Tessa Donovan had raised her son to not fear emotion; something his father had refused. _"Emotion is not something to cast aside or fear, Zane Matthew. It's something to be accepted; showing emotion is the rawest form of love, and it's also the rarest. Don't hide it. It's not something to be hidden, especially around those important moments and the people who make those moments important."_

"Daddy?" Zane tore himself away from his mate, smiling softly at the confusion in Elie's blue eyes. He leaned down, realization lighting his eyes.

"Do you remember the plaque Granna gave us for Christmas last year? The one she brought back from her trip to Ireland?" The girl nodded. "Remember the tree on it?" She nodded as Zane showed her the placenta. "What's Granna always say, Elie-bean?"

"'There's a reason-" She stopped, unsure.

"'There's a reason Mother Nature is a woman', Daddy." Annie spoke up, and Zane smiled at his middle daughter.

"That's right." He turned back to Elie. "See the veins?" She nodded. "Remember how a tree has roots?" The girl nodded. "What is the tree on that plaque called?"

"The Tree of... Life?"

"That's right." He smiled softly at his youngest daughter. "See how the cord is attached to the placenta?" The girl nodded; the light in her eyes when she finally understood what he was explaining sent a thrill through his heart. So taking the joyous moments after the birth of his son to educate his youngest daughter wasn't the _best_ idea, but if it helped Elie better understand what her mother had just endured for the last few days, he'd take it. The look on her face as she glanced between her mother and the placenta and back was one that Zane recognized- when his youngest was finally putting the pieces of a puzzle together. Not that Elie was stupid, not by any means, but she was younger than Annie by two years, and much younger than Catie, and hadn't been around Jo the last time she'd been pregnant because... well, Jo had been pregnant _with_ her-

"Mother Nature isn't the only one who gives life, Elie." He kissed her head. "Now go meet your brother. He's waiting to meet you."

An admitted atheist, Zane was the last person people would suspect of believing in lotus birth and the benefits of not cutting the umbilical cord- hokum and superstition, but Zane knew from studies done that there were benefits to _delaying_ cutting the cord; increased blood flow and volume, cardiovascular stability, pulmonary blood flow, corrected pH, and stable haemodynamic transition being just a few proven from delaying the cutting of the cord- and while Jo had never been one to want a lotus birth, she'd also read the same studies and agreed in regards to the added benefits of delaying. Zane slipped into the kitchen, washed his hands, grabbed what he needed, and returned quietly. In a matter of minutes, he'd clamped the cord- now white and no longer pulsing- and cut it, by now an old pro at delivering their babies.

Once everything was taken care of, he returned to the stairs, stopping to watch his girls as they gathered around their baby brother. "Hi, Dorie." The girls crowded around, vying to get a good look at their newlyborn baby brother. Catie hadn't moved; she simply wrapped her arms gently around her mother, resting her head on Jo's shoulder, watching the baby as he nursed at her mother's breast.

Carefully, Annie leaned against her mother, resting her head against her shoulder. The middle Donovan daughter was quiet, lost in her own thoughts, even as her baby sister voiced her own opinion. "He's so wrinkly, Mommy."

"He's beautiful, Elie, just like you were when you were born." Jo replied, never taking her gaze off the baby. His thick black curls reminded her of Zane's, and it was highly evident that he would grow to have her eyes. The girls shared glances, before glancing at Daddy; her words hadn't gone unheard by Zane, who's sharp inhale went unnoticed by Jo. The young mother-of-four couldn't take her eyes off the baby at her breast, barely hearing Annie's soft,

"His eyes aren't blue."


End file.
